Family First
by mayat09
Summary: Genna Colbert is a college student who runs into long lost friend, Brendon.  ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

"Carpenter, Charles," the professor read from a long list of students.

It was the first day of college and Genavieve Colbert was readying herself for the impact of the next name to be called.

"Colbert, Genavieve." The professor's voice seemed to echo several times before he caught sight of her solitary and pale arm in the air. She felt several pairs of eyes travel her way, but it seemed to be mute interest rather than obsessive realization that attracted them. It wasn't always such a peaceable realization.

That she was daughter of Stephen Colbert, host of one of _Comedy Central_'s highest rated and most-watched shows, seemed to haunt her everywhere. And she used haunt purposely; some more outgoing people might have seen having a famous father as exciting, thrilling, and maybe even a gift, but Genna simply saw it as a curse. She loved her father more than anyone else in the world, but the unwanted attention was sometimes more than she could handle. She could, at least, walk out of her house in Montclair, New Jersey without event, but during formal occasions where her or her father's name had to be announced, it seemed there was always someone there to point out, "Hey look! Stephen Colbert from _The Colbert Report_!" or "Hey look! Stephen Colbert's daughter!"

Her dad wasn't really different than any other dad, which is a silly thing to say considering she based that judgment on _other _dads she saw on TV. But, he seemed pretty normal. When she was younger, she wasn't allowed to watch _The Daily Show_, but she was never really interested. All she knew was that her dad made people laugh for a living. He often said he was "professionally ridiculous."

It wasn't until high school that Genna had to start living with the idea that her father's celebrity life would impact her own. Kids would come up and ask her questions. She often felt harassed in a way, but by the end of freshman year, most of the avid fans quieted down, probably happy with their blogs now gloating that they went to school with Stephen Colbert's daughter.

Genna didn't expect any better from college kids. In fact, she expected it to be worse, but so far (though it was only ten in the morning, plenty of time for fan-itis to strike) everyone seemed content with just looking on.

And that was the way she preferred her life. People could stare, she just wasn't outgoing at all. She was shy around everyone but her friends, which she had had very few of in her life. She played things pretty close to the chest ever since the outbreak of kid-paparazzi.

Her dad often said that she was just overreacting to the attention she wasn't used to. She admitted to herself as much; it wasn't so much harassment as it was polite inquisitiveness. But it was still unwanted attention, all the same. It wasn't even the slightly over excited fans she got. Generally it was the polite and curious ones, the ones who state, "Wow it must be cool to have him as your dad," or, "Man, your life must be really awesome with a _comedian_ living in your house!"

They said the career like it was a rare species of animal, but Genna didn't see the difference between her father and the funny fathers on TV sometimes, which she knew must have existed somewhere.

Genna snapped her attention back into reality after she realized the professor had stopped calling names. He began the lesson, explaining the basics of Chemistry.

She zoned in and out of the lesson, knowing she was going to want to hit herself later for not paying attention. Two minutes until class finished, she noticed that the boy next to her was staring at her. She looked over, ready for some kind of outburst of comprehension, but he just smiled and asked, "You're a freshman, right?"

This was one of those questions that Genna often found herself making several smart retorts for, but stopped herself and nodded instead. "Why?" she added.

The bell rang.

"You don't remember," the boy said, getting up and heading out into the crowded corridors.


	2. Chapter 2

Genna kept up by his side and stared him over. Dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and fair skin. It was with a sudden jolt that she suddenly remembered who this was. "Brendon? Brendon Urie?!" Genna exclaimed exasperatedly.

He smiled his confirmation and she squealed in delight, throwing her arms around his neck. Brendon seemed taken aback for a split second before laughing and hugging her back.

"This is insane!" Genna said breathlessly, letting him go. The corridors were beginning to empty.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too. What class do you have now?" he asked.

"I don't! I have an hour before my next class."

"Great! Me neither. Let's go." He led the way and they ended up outside the cafeteria where tables were set up.

Genna was absolutely thrilled. "It's been… years!"

"How old were we?" he pondered. "We were in 7th grade when you moved."

"Yeah. I was twelve. Man. It seems like ages ago!" Genna sat down across from him at an empty table. "Did you move here or are you still in South Carolina?"

"Technically still in Carolina," he said, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "At least my parents still are. But I have to say this now – you're dad! I was absolutely shocked and proud, actually, to see how far he's gone!"

"Oh yeah. Right. He's really happy about it, of course," Genna said.

"I mean, you're practically a celebrity now, aren't you?"

Genna snorted. "Unfortunately."

Brendon laughed but didn't push the subject.

"So are you still in New Jersey?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I am. With Dad, of course."

"And your mom…?" Brendon trailed off.

"She died," Genna said.

Brendon looked genuinely upset. "I'm sorry to hear it," he said seriously. "What happened, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all," she answered. "She died in a car crash five years ago."

"That's terrible, I'm sorry."

Genna shrugged and said, "I've had plenty of time to dwell over it. But my dad and I got through it okay. We own a couple horses up at the house, so that kept us busy. Still does."

"Horses! You've always wanted horses," Brendon remembered.

Genna laughed once. "You remember the strangest things." Her phone went off. She gave Brendon an apologetic look before answering, "Hey Dad."

"Not stuffed in any lockers yet, are you?"

"Not high school anymore," Genna reminded him.

"Given any autographs?"

"I've actually decided to set up a booth," she answered. "Just to keep things moving."

He laughed. "You win. So how're your classes?"

"Fine. Oh Dad! You'll never believe who I met here!"

"Not a boy. Tell me it's not a boy."  
"Well it is, but-."

"The answer is no."

"Shut up! It's Brendon!"

"Sorry?"

"Brendon Urie. Remember? Best friend since we were four?"

"Really?"

"Absolutely!" Genna smiled and made eye contact with Brendon who smiled back.

"That's bizarre. Do you need me to do a background check? Seems like a stalker story to me."

"Dad!"

"Fine. Listen, I have to go, we're about to sit down with the writers."

"All right. Call me tonight. Love."

"Love."

She heard his phone click off and she closed her own.

"Sorry. He said he'd call," Genna apologized.

"You know I've been meaning to get this in – do you remember when we were six and my cousin came to visit?"

"Yes, I do! Um, um, Analeigh!"

"Yeah, she goes here, too."

"No!"

"Yes!"

Genna laughed. "She's older right, a year older?"

"She's a sophomore, yeah."


	3. Chapter 3

Genna couldn't believe she was sitting with someone she had been so close to before this many years later. Brendon really had been her first best friend, but they lost contact after Genna had moved. Her dad's job at the _Daily Show_ had just begun and the family moved to New Jersey to be closer. They talked on the phone, but then Genna began acting in theatre and Brendon started a band so that their talks were limited to once a month until eventually they fell out of contact.

The next couple days, Genna found herself attracted to Brendon as quickly as when they had become friends when they were four. She'd finally got to speak to Analeigh, and Genna found herself surrounded with revisits from her past. Weeks passed and Genna fell into the college routine.

Brendon also started visiting Genna's single dorm room routinely to study. Genna found herself laughing constantly, something she'd been unable to do since her mother passed away – even with her dad in the house.

Winter break rushed towards the students of Marymount Manhattan College. Snow already brushed New York City, making the city lights seem more vibrant with ecstatic color. Genna was growing more excited everyday; she was going back home to see her dad for Christmas break. The day before the official winter break, she had no classes, so she spent the day packing for the trip. Brendon called and reminded her that she had to get her break work from Professor Candell, their Anatomy professor. She grabbed her long coat, a scarf, gloves, and her favorite pair of boots before braving the biting winter air outside her single dorm.

Stepping outside was like putting your whole body in a bucket of ice water. Genna pulled her coat tight around her and trudged through the six inches of snow to the sidewalk where the snow thinned. She saw Brendon coming towards her from the direction she was headed and he joined her side. Genna coughed and said, "It's freezing."

He laughed once.

She raised an eyebrow at him before knocking him off the sidewalk into the deep snow. She burst into laughter.

"You're just asking for it," Brendon threatened. He picked up a handful of snow, but Genna was quick to dodge the oncoming snowball. "Whatever," Brendon said with the air of defeat, but he was grinning.

It had started to snow again by the time the two had reached Farlow Hall. Genna sighed as she stepped into the heated classroom that was Candell's. The professor wasn't in the room, but on the chalkboard was written several page numbers and a note that read, "Summarize," underneath them.

"Fantastic. I guess that means there's at least three essays that he wants us to do," Genna muttered as she copied down the information on a piece of paper she had brought with her.

"If you get back early from your dad's, we could work on it together," Brendon noted.

"Sure thing," Genna said. "I still don't know when I'm going to come back. Three weeks of pure _nothing_ sounds fantastic. Maybe I'll just quit college."

Brendon laughed humorlessly.

"Are you all right?" Genna asked, looking up at Brendon as she tucked away the piece of paper.

"Sorry. Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night."

Genna nodded knowingly. "I know how that is. What's on your mind?"

They made their way out of the building and back outside. The snow was coming down thickly and there were a few more students milling about, doing last minute business before heading off home for break.

"I've just been thinking lately…" he trailed off. Genna looked up at him. He was looking ahead where a small, petite someone walked towards them quickly.

The girl stopped in front of the two and Genna smiled politely. "Hi Katherine," Genna greeted.


	4. Chapter 4

Katherine, part of Genna and Brendon's anatomy class, was perfectly proportioned in a way that made her absolutely adorable. She was also extremely kind to everyone and Genna liked her, regardless that they had never really spoken before.

"Hi Genna. Hi Brendon," Katherine responded with an adorable smile. "Aren't you ready for Christmas break?"

"Absolutely," Genna said with a mirthful laugh. "Do you have any big plans?" Genna noted Brendon's uncomfortable shuffling beside her but chose to ignore him.

"Oh nothing really," Katherine answered, seemingly unaware of Brendon's discomfort. "I'm just going to be visiting family down in Virginia. How about you?" This time she looked up at Brendon to include him in the conversation. Genna felt him freeze.

"Same thing. My dad lives in New Jersey," Genna said, clearing her throat.

"Well listen," Katherine said, "Would you mind if I stole Brendon for a moment? I just have a quick question I have to ask."

Genna was taken aback for a moment; she hadn't even known that the two had spoken before. She collected herself quickly and said, "Of course. I've got to finish packing anyway. I'll see you later, Brendon. Have a great break, Katherine." Genna smiled politely. Brendon seemed incapable of words, so she took her leave.

The minute walk back to her dorm was uneventful. When she took off her jacket, she fished through the pocket for the paper, hoping to keep in safe in her duffel bag, but she couldn't find it. After turning her jacket and every other pocket on her inside out, she cursed and decided to retrace her steps. If she ended up not chancing upon, she'd just copy it down again.

Trekking back, she mulled over the reasons that had been bouncing off the front of her mind as to why Katherine would want to talk to Brendon. And why did Brendon start acting weird when Katherine showed up? Or was that only because he was about to tell Genna why he wasn't sleeping? Was that somehow connected to Katherine? It seemed unlikely, but…

Genna pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind again as she tried to focus on finding the paper. She had known that discovering the white paper amid blinding white snow while more snow came down in blankets would be impossible, so she wasn't very disappointed when she saw no sign of it. She aimed her feet towards Farlow Hall, hoping they'd find the way because whenever she would look up, icy snow would burn her cheeks.

As she passed a small gazebo-like area, she looked up briefly, curious as to how many students might have sought refuge beneath its hardly adequate roof, but found only two people. Genna suddenly realized they had to be Brendon and Katherine. The snow seemed to ease a bit so that she could make out, about thirty yards away, the tall pale form of Brendon and the small, equally short stature of Katherine. They seemed to be talking and Genna had just taken another step forward before she froze at what she saw.

_They were kissing._

Genna blinked once, as if hoping it was the snow that was blurring her vision and making it seem that way. They couldn't be. That was impossible. Brendon would've said something about it.

_He did say something about it._

Genna suddenly realized that this is what Brendon had been trying to tell her all along.

She shoved all thought back to the recesses of her mind and fought her way back to the dorm. There was no sense in waiting any longer than she had to; she could leave now for home before the snow got too bad.

After making sure she had her cell phone and all of her bags, she piled it into her small, light blue Hyundai Accent. She turned on the car and waited for the heat to come on before setting off down the muddy roads.

She turned on the radio and tried to zone out for the hour and twenty minutes it took to get to Montclair, New Jersey. Genna silently thanked God for the snow because it kept her mind off of anything but driving. Thirty minutes in, she decided to call her dad.

He picked up on the second ring and answered, "Hey Genna!"

"Hey Dad," she said. She cleared her throat. The cold and not talking had made her voice go weird. "Listen, I left early, so I'll be there in an hour or so."

"Are you all right?" Genna wondered idly whether he had acquired her mom's super abilities to read emotions over the phone after her death.

"I'm fine!" she answered, throwing together the acting skills she had inherited from both her mother and her father. "I just left early because of the snow and stuff. I better go; I don't like talking on the phone and driving."

"All right," Stephen answered. He still seemed unconvinced. "I'll see you in a bit. Drive safely."

"Will do," Genna said and she closed her phone. She turned up the radio again.


	5. Chapter 5

As she pulled into the driveway of the huge estate she called home and turned off the car, she finally let herself ponder the biggest question that thundered through her mind; _were they together? _She coughed once as if to choke back any other questions besides.

Genna collected her bags and made her way through the front door to the foyer. She dropped her stuff at the foot of the stairs and went right, towards the kitchen. As she had expected, her dad was there at the kitchen island enveloped in a newspaper.

"Hey Dad," Genna said with a smile.

He looked up and said, "Oh! I didn't hear you pull in or else I would've helped with your things." He stood and hugged her. She followed his lead and took a seat across from him at the island.

"So how is the college life?" he asked, shutting the newspaper and placing it beside him.

"It's all right," Genna said, looking around the large house absentmindedly. Something about being in her own home, in the safety of her father's presence brought back that dreaded scene she'd been repressing since she saw it. She felt the color rise to her cheeks and before she could leave, the tears sprung from her eyes.

"Oh, geez Genna," she heard her dad say. He walked over to the other side and stood in front of her so she could bury her face in his work shirt. "Is it really that bad?" he asked after a while.

Genna thought about answering, but decided that shaking her head "no" was better.

"Well, then… what's wrong?" He pulled her head up so that she was looking at him.

She looked away and wiped her tears on her jacket sleeve before saying, "I'm sorry. I've been holding that in since I left."

"Oh, I know," he said. He apparently thought it was safe to leave and he went back to his chair on the other side of the island. "So what happened?"

Genna cleared her throat and sniffed. She wasn't going to be able to get through this story without breaking down, but she could at least get a good start. "Well," she started, but then she didn't know how to put it. It had really just occurred to her that there was no appropriate reason for her to be mad. Sure, Brendon was her best friend and he hadn't told her, but he had obviously been _trying_ to tell her. Katherine, as she had noted many times before, was a wonderful person. So why was she upset?

"I don't know why I'm upset," Genna admitted, toying mindlessly at the ring she always wore on her right ring finger; it had been her mother's. "I shouldn't be, it's just… well, I really don't know. I mean she's a great person! Why would I be upset about that? It's his life. He can do whatever he wants. I don't care. I mean I care. He's my… friend. I just…" She trailed off, her thoughts elsewhere.

"Brendon?" Stephen guessed.

Genna looked up. "Yeah. Yeah, Brendon. And this girl Katherine. They, I mean, well, they were… I guess I saw them… kissing or something and I don't know, I just got so upset! I couldn't understand at first why he didn't tell me, but then he _had_ tried to tell me, but it's weird because he didn't act _happy_ about it or anything!"

Her dad seemed to take a moment to think before finally saying, "Well, why don't you just tell _him_ this?"

Genna looked incredulous. "What? I can't do that! What would I say? 'Hey, I don't know why I hate that you two are together, but I do, so break up'? Honestly, I'd sound insanely possessive."

"I think I know why you're so upset," Stephen added suddenly.

Genna stared at him, hoping he had some brilliant answer that would make everything better. "And that is…?" she said.

"Well, I think you like him," Stephen said frankly.

Genna opened her mouth at once to protest, then shut it, unable to say anything at all. "That's ridiculous," she was able to say finally, although it had lost all previous validity when she thought about it.

"No it's not," Stephen said with a half-smile. "He's a great guy, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's okay…" Genna answered skeptically.

"Not from what I've heard over the phone," her father retorted. "I think it's perfectly okay that you like this kid. Actually, I expected as much, with the way you were talking about him."

"I wasn't…. was I?" Genna suddenly realized that Brendon was probably _all_ she had talked about to her father and she felt a twinge of guilt. Had she ever even asked about how he was doing? Of course she did, she wasn't completely heartless. Was she? "I- I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"Sorry for what? Gen, I was _happy_ for you! And the fact that you're not okay with him dating another girl just proves my theory," he said.

"Even if I _did _like him, it doesn't matter anymore, does it? He's with Katherine. She's so _perfect_, Dad. There's no way I'd ever compete with her."

"Oh, come on, Gen. You're not so bad. You're actually kind of cute sometimes," Stephen joked with a small smile.

"Whatever," Genna said, though she couldn't help but grin. She knew he was lying because she could recall all the times he used to say she looked like her mother, who was beautiful beyond compare. "Katherine's just too good. And I'm… well, I'm practically _indecent_ compared to her."

"Yeah… but you have money," he replied, holding his arms wide, indicating the gargantuan house.

"You know, this house is ridiculous for one person to live in," Genna said. "Six bedrooms, eight bathrooms. Why don't we move to someplace smaller?" It was a tough subject, the house. She knew it was her mother that kept him here; this was the house they were living in when she died, after all. Moving would be like making it final.


	6. Chapter 6

"Maybe you're right," Stephen said to Genna's great surprise. "Something smaller. Of course, we'd still have to have land for the horses."

"Yeah, there's no way I'm getting rid of those guys," Genna said seriously. "Let's go look this break, okay?"

Stephen didn't say anything or nod, but stared off into the distance, obviously thinking about something, so Genna didn't bother him for a definite answer.

"Thanks, Dad," she said, breaking him out of his trance.

"No problem, hon."

"I was wondering about the horses," Genna said, changing the subject. "Are they all right?"

"I think they're happy," Stephen agreed.

"Is David still helping out?" Genna asked, remembering the thirty-something year old farm hand that helped with the horses.

"Oh yeah," he said, "There's no way I'd be able to keep up with work and those guys."

"_The Colbert Report_ still going well?"

"Are you still not watching it?" he asked instead.

"Nope. Well, that's a lie. Once in a while I'll hear kids talk about a certain something 'Stephen Colbert' did and if it's interesting sounding, I'll check it out."

"Like…?"

"Like when you had tarantula's on you as you talked about race," Genna said with a grin. "Sometimes I only enjoy it because I can tell when you're _really_ scared."

He laughed mirthlessly. "It was terrifying, I assure you."

"And I also watched-," Genna began but was cut off by her phone. She looked at it. It was so strange to see the name "Brendon Urie" in green type like it had so many times before, but this time she hesitated.

"Who is it?" Stephen asked.

"Brendon," Genna stated. She gave up and decided a good intermediate would be to just wait for a voicemail; if he wanted her to call back, she would. Maybe. Genna placed the phone on the counter as if to ignore it better by watching it. _Viva La Gloria!_ by Green Day played on as her ringtone.

Then, before she knew what happened, her dad had snatched up the phone and answered it, saying, "Hello, this is Stephen Colbert speaking!"

Genna screamed quietly, wide-eyed, into her hands. She reached over and tried desperately to take the phone, but Stephen was too quick. He walked across the kitchen as he said, "Oh yes, hi Brendon! Yeah, Gen is a little busy at the moment but I think she left me a message to give to you…"

It was too much.

"I'll talk to him!" Genna shouted, running up and taking the phone away from her demon of a father. He smiled widely.

"Hey Gen!" Brendon said.

"Sorry about my dad. He's… so _stupid_." She yelled the last word and at the same time threw him a dirty look. He looked smug.

"No, it's fine. He's cool. Listen, you kind of just left without telling anyone so I never got to say goodbye!" Brendon complained.

"Oh, yeah, right. Um. It was starting to snow pretty badly and I wanted to get home and everything before it got… too bad."

"Right, I understand," he said. "Well, now I need your address."

"Sorry?"

"Your address, your home address?" he clarified.

"Why?"

"Your Christmas present!" Brendon said in a matter-of-fact tone. "I have to send you your Christmas present, don't I?"

"Christmas…? You got me…?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It was really nothing. So the address?"

"Oh, right. Um. 223 Midland Avenue… Montclair, New Jersey."

"Fantastic. Well, listen I've got to go. I'll call you or something over break, okay?"

"Right," Genna said. "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye!"

"Bye then."

She heard the phones disconnect and she ended her own.

"If you had given me ten more seconds, I could've told him right then and there that you liked him," Stephen said in a disappointed voice.

"He got me a Christmas present," Genna said, not even believing her own voice. "Am I supposed to get him one?" she wondered suddenly.

"Well, you guys _are_ friends," Stephen pointed out. "Friends get each other gifts, don't they?"

Genna had never really thought about it, but she supposed she would have to think about it.

"So, speaking of Christmas presents," Stephen interjected, "what do you want?"

"Nothing, Dad, just like every year," Genna said halfheartedly.

"Really? Come on. Name one thing you want. Anything at all. Oh! I know what _you_ want."

Something in the mocking tone of his voice made Genna not want to take the bait, but she asked, "What do I want?"

He took her hand in his and placed his left hand on her waist. They danced to invisible music for a moment before Genna asked, "I want to take dancing lessons?"

"No, no, no," he replied. "You want to be swept off your feet by Prince Charming."

"You're really having fun with this, aren't you?" Genna asked, stopping immediately.

"Um… yeah," Stephen answered truthfully. "But only because I think you have a real chance with this guy, plus I kind of already know him. You and I both know, Gen, that you don't make friends easily. So the fact that you are _in love_ makes me overjoyed."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Genna froze up. "I'm not in love," she demanded. "Love isn't… I can't be _in love_. I don't even know what love _is_."

"That's because you've never been in love before," Stephen noted, taking a seat at the breakfast table. "But now you have!"

"No, I haven't," Genna said seriously. "This is ridiculous. I shouldn't be arguing with you. I should be… elsewhere."

"…making out with Brendon. Right," Stephen finished.

"Dad!" Genna scolded. "Why would I…? I've never even kissed a guy before let alone-"

"Wait, wait, what?" Stephen interrupted. He cracked a smile and asked, "You've never had your first kiss?"

"No, Dad, I haven't," Genna said, feeling incredibly see-through and embarrassed. "I've never dated anyone, remember?"

"Yeah, but I never really thought… wow… you _do_ need to get out more."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Genna asked, finding herself a little insulted.

"I'm just saying you should go out to club and hook up with some guys!" Stephen said.

"I don't know why I kid myself. There is no _way_ you can be considered a normal father, trying to make your own daughter have _one-night stands_! You know I'm an all abstinence-till-marriage kind of girl."

"Safe sex," Stephen said simply.

"…is for people who aren't in control of themselves enough that they can't wait for a year before they make a huge commitment. If you're not ready for marriage, you're not ready for sex."

"Fine. But don't come crying to me when you're a forty-year-old virgin."

"I cannot believe we're having this fight again," Genna said. "I know I'm right. Did _you_ have sex before marrying Mom?"

"Oh yeah. Didn't I tell you? You were a bastard child," Stephen said nonchalantly.

"Whatever. This conversation is over," Genna said. She felt herself getting worked up and didn't want to embarrass herself anymore than she already had.

"Anyway," Stephen continued, "I think the next time you see Brenny-bear you should just kiss him. And just like that, he'll come to his senses and realize you're perfect for him."

"Brenny-bear!" Genna exclaimed. "I can't believe you remember that nickname!"

"Of course I do," Stephen replied, looking hurt. "I made it up, didn't I?"

"And you called me 'Dare-trap'."

"Does anyone at school ever call you 'Dare'?" he asked.

"No way. I haven't gone by my middle name since we lived in South Carolina. And I am _not_ going to kiss him."

"Oh, why not? That's the perfect present for him! You can make it all seductive. 'Oh, Brendon!'" he mocked in a sing-song voice, "'I have a wonderful Christmas present for you!' and then right there, kiss him."

"Dream on, old man," Genna said. "_Dream. On._"

"Well, all joking aside, I really think you ought to tell him that you're upset. If he really is as good of a guy as you make him out to be, he'll be okay with it."

Genna sighed and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long Christmas break.


	7. Chapter 7

Days came and went by quickly. Genna found herself thinking about Brendon more and more. She came to realize that the more she pictured Brendon and Katherine together, the more she felt sick to her stomach. Brendon had called three times in first two weeks of break. They would talk for five minutes and Genna could only compare their short talks as a sort of drug. She knew it was bad for her, but she couldn't help but want to hear his voice more.

"You should call him," Stephen would suggest every once in a while. Genna always ignored him.

She had already copied the lost homework assignment from Brendon and finished it within the first week. She then busied herself trying to find a smaller house with enough land for horses while her dad went into work every weekday. Christmas day passed by, too. She had bought her dad a new Blackberry with the money she still had saved from the previous year where she worked at a local café near her high school.

At first Genna was surprised to see that she hadn't been given anything at all. For a fleeting moment she was hoping he had actually listened to her, but it wasn't long before Stephen asked, "Are you ready to see your gift?"

Genna followed his lead and got dressed for the outside cold. It wasn't snowing, but snow still covered the ground pretty thickly. He led her behind the great estate to the field and stables. Tethered to a post inside was a beautiful Appaloosa gelding.

Genna gasped and rode her hand up the horse's nose and down her neck.

"Fifteen hands. Rides western and English. She's had some paring training, rides with a bit or a hackmore, and rides off leg cues and neck reins. She has a great stop," Stephen said.

"I bet she cost a fortune," Genna said in amazement, taking in every inch of the horse.

"Twenty-three hundred," he admitted. "But she's all yours."

"This is… way too much. Makes the phone look like crap," muttered Genna.

"I dunno about that," Stephen said with a laugh. "Merry Christmas, Gen."

The next day, Genna felt the last week of break come over her like a wave. In one full week, she would have to meet Brendon face-to-face. Would she ever tell him how she felt? She doubted it, but even the tiniest push at that point could've toppled her over the edge of her emotions.

"Look at this one," Genna said, handing over a real estate magazine to Stephen.

He took it halfheartedly. They'd been doing this since nine that morning and it was now twelve.

"I'm serious this time," Genna assured him. "Twenty acres and a two bedroom house. It's perfect!"

"Where?" He stared down at the spot she had circled in permanent marker. "Middletown? I don't know…"

"What's wrong now?"

"Well how far is Middletown from New York?"

Genna shrugged and took the magazine back. "Not that far." Genna's phone went off and she answered, already knowing who it was. "Hey Brendon," she said.

"Hey! Merry belated Christmas!" he said happily.

"You too!" Genna said in a faux-happy voice.

"Sorry I didn't call yesterday. I was with family the entire time. I hardly got any time to myself. Anyway, I called because your present is supposed to have come today. Have you heard anything?"

Genna thought before answering, "No, I haven't. Is it being delivered?"

"I think so. Why don't you go look?"

"Look? Don't they normally ring the doorbell when a package arrives?" Genna asked.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang and Genna smiled. "Oh," she said, "there's the bell."

"Great. They tend to be pretty on-schedule. Let me call you back, okay?"

"Sure." She put her phone away and went into the foyer. She opened the front door and couldn't help herself from yelling aloud.

Brendon stood on the top step holding a Golden Retriever puppy in his arms.


	8. Chapter 8

"Merry Christmas, Gen," he said. He passed the puppy over and Genna laughed incredulously.

"Brendon!" Genna exclaimed. "I can't believe… He's for me?" she asked.

"Yeah, all yours. I overheard the girl who owns your building say that they allow dogs. Did you know that?"

Genna shook her head. "I never really thought to ask. He's fantastic!" Genna set him down and the puppy immediately started sniffing around.

"Sorry if I was unexpected," Brendon apologized.

"I'm surprised, for sure," Genna said breathlessly. She laughed. "Absolutely amazing. How did you…?"

"Oh, I flew up. I stayed in my dorm yesterday where they've turned off the electricity, by the way. I couldn't charge my phone to call you or anyone. And then I drove the car here. Nice place, by the way. I actually thought it must be the wrong house… or mansion. Then I thought about who your dad is…" He laughed once.

"Oh. Right. Sorry," Genna said. She never liked to flaunt her money.

"Sorry for what?" Brendon asked.

"Oh geez, come in!" Genna exclaimed suddenly. She had just realized he was standing outside still.

"Thanks." He stepped in and took the grand foyer in with its two Cinderella staircases leading to an upper balcony. "Wow," he said under his breath.

"Gen!" Stephen called from in the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Genna yelled back.

"There's a giant rat in the kitchen," he said, coming around the corner. He stopped when he saw Brendon then a grin swept across his face. "Brendon?" he inquired.

"Yes, sir," Brendon said, offering his hand. Stephen took it with a wide smile.

"Good to see you. You were much shorter last time I saw you," Stephen said.

Brendon laughed. "Yeah, that's what I hear."

Stephen turned to Genna. "We have a puppy?" he asked.

"_I_ do," Genna clarified. "It's my Christmas present from Brendon."

"Isn't that nice. Well, I've got to head into work today, so Brendon, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want. He can have the grand guest room," he indicated to Genna.

"I didn't know you had to work today," Genna said, throwing her dad a significant look.

"Jimmy just called me," he said. "They want to start on next week's stuff."

Genna hated that her father was a professional actor because it was moments like these that she really wanted to know whether he was lying or not. He kissed Genna on the forehead and set out.

"He's a filthy liar," Genna decided. "Well, I guess we should take the puppy outside."

"Right. I was just about to say that," Brendon agreed.

As Genna got suited up for the cold air, she thought about the situation she was now in. Was it possible that her worst nightmare and her favorite dream were the same thing? Apparently.

They walked for five minutes talking about their breaks and Genna tried to enjoy herself. But that was difficult when her mind kept going back to Katherine and that burning question. She was dreading that Brendon would never bring it up, but eventually he interrupted their lighthearted conversation.

"I've been meaning to tell you something, Genna," he said.

"I already know." Genna wasn't sure where that sudden courage came from, but she decided to go with it.

Brendon stopped in his tracks. "You know?" he asked.

"Yeah," Genna said, turning and facing Brendon. The puppy frolicked, happy to be outside in the snow. Genna watched the color rise slightly to Brendon's cheeks. "I saw you and Katherine together," Genna said. She continued walking and decidedly did not make eye contact with Brendon. "Kissing, I mean," she clarified after a moment of silence.

There was another second of silence before Brendon burst into laughter. Genna turned around, not expecting that sort of reaction.

"Why are you laughing?" Genna asked, grinning slightly despite what she was feeling.

"I'm sorry," Brendon apologized, trying to collect himself. "That's not what I wanted to tell you."

"So you and Katherine…?" Genna trailed off, fearing the answering might still be "yes."


	9. Chapter 9

"No, no. I don't even really know her. _She _was kissing _me_." He shrugged. "I don't really know why she suddenly wanted to talk to _me_. I still don't. But something happened afterwards. I mean, I told her that I was sorry, that I didn't feel the same way. And the weird part was that she wasn't upset or anything. Instead, she said, 'Good luck' which I thought was _really_ weird. I mean who says that? Then she said, 'With Genna, I mean. She's a really nice girl' and I couldn't understand what she was talking about. But that's when I realized something." Brendon stood in front of Genna now, his hands on her arms. Genna felt her heart beating loudly. She wondered if he could hear it.

"I realized," he continued, "that I love you! I know it sounds weird. You must be really freaked out…" He let go of her as if by touching her, he might spread some disease. "But I think I really do. I've never felt like this about another person, which is totally cliché, but I mean it in its literal sense. I've dated other girls, but none of them are anything compared to how I feel about you. And I only regret that it took me this long to tell you."

"I'm not freaked out," Genna said. "I'm… I'm overjoyed. I just don't know how to… how to…" She paused and before she had even thought about what she was doing, she was kissing him full on the lips. "I'm sorry," Genna said, pulling away quickly and looking down, embarrassed.

"You've got to stop saying sorry," Brendon said with a kind smile. He pulled her face back towards his and he kissed her this time, slow and steady. It felt wonderful.

When they broke apart, Genna whispered, "Two."

"Two?" Brendon asked, obviously confused.

Genna felt herself blush. "That was my second kiss," she said quietly.

Brendon thought for a moment. "When was your first?" he asked.

"The one before that," she said.

He was quiet before finally saying, "That was your first kiss?"

"Sorry. I know it's sad. I've never had a boyfriend," Genna said.

"Stop apologizing," Brendon reminded her. "You're fantastic. And honestly, I'm shocked. I would've never guessed you hadn't dated anyone. You're a pretty good kisser." He laughed.

She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest. "Thanks," she said. After a moment she added, "But my dad's going to kill me."

"Does he not want you dating?" Brendon asked.

"Quite the opposite. When he found out I liked you, he wanted me to call you and tell you. He was almost disgusted that I'd never had my first kiss. That's when you called and he answered. I was so scared he was going to tell you then… but he didn't thankfully. And we always fight about sex. I swear I'm secretly the protective father and _he's_ the college student. He's never going to let this one go."

They continued walking, Genna sliding her arm around Brendon's waist.

"You fight about sex?" Brendon asked, obviously curious.

"Sure. You'd think, as a single father, he'd want to keep me as protected as possible, but he's really the opposite. He doesn't understand my abstinence-till-marriage point of view. He keeps trying to tell me to go out and hook up with random men. It's crazy. But he only wants me to because he knows I hate that stuff. He just wants me to have the best in life, even if it means taking risks. He means well."

"I've never heard of any girl's father being that okay with sex. That's bizarre. So no sex before marriage you say?"

Genna sighed. She had hardly thought through the kissing, but knew she should've expected this to be a problem with most guys. "Yeah, no."

Brendon nodded. "I guess I'm okay with that. I never really ever thought about it…"

Genna relaxed some and smiled to herself. "Don't be surprised if my dad gives you some kind of pep talk, though, about getting me in bed. I wouldn't put it past him."

"Really? I still don't quite get how he's so okay with all that."

"Someday I'm going to prove him wrong. He's got it coming."

"How would you prove him wrong? Get pregnant or something?"

"Yeah, that's my last resort. I plan to exhaust my other ideas before stooping that low. Not only because I'd have to _get_ pregnant, but also the man who was responsible would probably be brutally murdered."

Brendon coughed. "I'm glad to hear it," he said.

"What is it you like about me?" Genna asked suddenly.

"What?" Brendon responded, taken aback.

"Why do you like me… or love me? Whichever."

"It's… well…" He seemed to think a moment. "I think it's your hair," he said finally.

Genna raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the redhead clan is a dying race!" he said with a half-grin. "I thought I should help the minorities. They're in need."

Genna elbowed him in the side. "Jerk," she said. "I was being serious!"

"I know, I know. All right. I like you because… well, because you're… oh. I know. So you must have as a little girl wondered who you were going to marry, right? And it was probably someone who was kind, thoughtful, and careful, but at the same time rigidly handsome, strong, and courageous?"

"Yeah, but you're defining pretty much every girl's dream guy," Genna pointed out.

"Right. Well guys have that too, for girls. Obviously a little different. Anyway, you're that girl."

"You want to marry me?" Genna asked, giving him a look.

Brendon laughed. "Not yet, I don't think. But you seem perfect to me, you know? That's something I don't find often."

"I'm nowhere _near_ perfect," Genna said. "I'm a klutz most of the time. I'm awkward and get embarrassed easily. My dad's insane. _And_ I'm practically a celebrity. I've got tons of money, which _is_ a fault if you ask me. You start to attract people for all the wrong reasons."

"Trifles," Brendon said, waving his hand as if swatting away a fly.

"Big trifles," Genna said seriously. "I'm a nightmare when it comes to emotions."

"You seem fine around me," Brendon said.

Genna paused. "That's because I am… around you. I feel comfortable around you, is all. Only you and my dad so far. And maybe my new pup. Who, by the by, needs a name."

"You haven't always been like this," Brendon said quietly.

"What?" Genna asked, looking over at him.

"You weren't really this shy when I knew you. All the way through the eighth grade, I knew you and you were never really shy. Was it because of your mom?" he asked.


	10. Chapter 10

Genna was quiet for several seconds. "Yeah," she said in barely an audible voice. "Losing Mom was like losing a part of me. Something I knew I'd never get back. I would get so angry, I'd hurt other people. I'd say things to them that I didn't mean. I never really made any friends after that. People stayed away unless they didn't know me. And they'd only talk to me because of my dad being famous.

"And my dad was rising in the TV industry, of course. I think it was doubly hard on him because he worked with people who had also known Mom. At least I could pretend I was fine if I wanted to. Everyone treated him differently. They acted like if they ever mentioned any mother ever, he might crack.

"I think he's okay now. We definitely connected more than we had ever before. We got the horses after the accident. It kept us busy. Then Dad had to work all the time. My senior year of high school I stopped doing drama like I had been the previous three years. I stopped talking to the few people that might've been considered friends to me. I literally felt like I had lost both parents.

"I was a selfish pig. Dad wasn't abandoning me. He'd gotten the biggest break in his life and I was acting like a prick. Either way, I decided to go to Marymount because I wanted to start over. I wanted to go someplace away from anyone who would know about the accident. Dad and I made up the summer before and we've been closer ever since. I really miss him when I'm at school." Genna yawned.

"I'm glad you feel like you can tell me this," Brendon said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"I am too. I've never told anyone all that. It's weird. I feel like I can tell you anything… Maybe you've put me under a spell." Genna grinned to herself and rested her head on his shoulder. She could've sworn he had stiffened, but she waved it away as a trick of the cold air.

"Genna… do you feel weird?"

"What do you mean?" she asked tiredly. They had almost made it back to the house.

"I mean… never mind."

"I feel tired," she said. "And happy. Overjoyed. And kind of… powerful, I guess. Like I'm invincible!" She laughed out loud. "Like I could crush diamond with my bare hands." She imitated crushing something in her fist and smiled up at Brendon. "But besides that, I feel fine."

Brendon looked worried for a moment as they approached the back door of the house.

"Are you all right, Brendon?" Genna asked concernedly.

"Fine. Sorry. I was just thinking…"

"Well, like my dad said, you're welcome to stay in the master guest room. It's really nice. And you get your own bathroom. Plus you have to electricity at the dorm, so you really have no choice."

"Right," he said, watching Genna carefully. "Thanks. I guess I will…"

"Brendon? Are you sure you're okay?" Genna asked, stepping inside the warm house.

"Tired," he said, ruffling his hair. "I didn't sleep much last night."

"Do you ever sleep?" Genna asked jokingly.

Brendon didn't answer. Genna stripped off her coat and dried the puppy with a dishtowel she found in the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked.

"That'd be great," he said. He seemed to have finally regained his previous happy nature.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning Genna woke up to the wonderful thought that not only was Brendon officially her boyfriend, but he was in her own house. She walked out to the kitchen still in her camisole and long pajama pants to the sight of her dad drinking coffee and watching the news via the Internet. He was already dressed up for work, minus the suit jacket and his tie hung undone around his neck.

"Morning," he said as Genna took a seat next to him.

"Brendon and I slept together last night," Genna said, taking a biscuit off a tray and biting into it.

Stephen spilled coffee down his front. He coughed several times before saying, "What?"

"We slept together. Had sex," Genna said nonchalantly.

"Wait, wait, wait," Stephen said, his brow furrowed in concentration. "What happened to abstinence till marriage?" He looked at his shirt and sighed. "Follow me," he said. "But keep talking." He led them to his room, the master bedroom.

"Well I guess I never really understood your point of view because I'd never had to think about it seriously. But I realized with Brendon that it might be okay, you know?"

Stephen looked at a loss for words and he busied himself undoing his shirt instead. Genna leaned against the doorway. "That's okay, isn't it?" Genna asked.

He didn't answer for a second. "I… I don't know, Genavieve."

Now she knew he was upset. He rarely ever used her full name.

"Don't you think you could've waited? I'm still confused. Did he change your mind?"

"I knew you were going to say that," Genna said. "He didn't! I made the choice on my own, I promise. You're okay with it, though?"

"Well, no, actually. I'm not," Stephen said. Genna could hear a hint of anger in his voice.

"But I thought you were okay with premarital sex. Are you changing your mind, too?"

"No! It's just… well, I guess. I never really thought that you would… I don't know." He pulled out a new tie and fixed it under the collar of his new shirt. "You've only been dating for a day!"

"So you've changed your mind?" Genna asked.

"I just… I realize you _think _you know him, but do you really?"

"Yeah, I do!"

"Don't you think you should've waited, though? You've said over and over that you'd wait. That you would never rush into this."

"I can't believe you've changed your mind so quickly," Genna said, half amused.

"I never thought about it with you! You were always a safe bet because I always relied on the fact that you would be against it. I just… I took that for granted I guess." He gave Genna a significant look. "I'm not okay with it," he determined.

"Too late now," Genna said and she left the room with a triumphant smile. She waited for ten seconds before standing back inside the room and staring at her dad. He stared back with a sort of sad, disappointed look on his face. "Dad, I didn't actually sleep with him," Genna said.

"What?" Stephen's voice had jumped an octave higher.

"I didn't sleep with him. I just wanted to teach you a lesson. You've taught me so many, I thought I'd return the favor. I still believe what I believed yesterday and the day before."

"You're serious," Stephen said, relief washing over his face.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go get breakfast." Genna rushed out of the room, happy that her plan had worked so well.

Stephen joined her in the kitchen five minutes later. Brendon was now awake and Genna and he were talking idly about the news.

"I cannot believe you'd put your father through so much pain," Stephen said, now fully dressed, jacket and all.

"It was for a greater purpose," Genna said, not taking her eyes away from the TV.

"Whatever! That's one way to give your old man a heart attack."

"What'd you do?" Brendon asked, clearly confused.

"She told me you guys _slept_ together," Stephen said, staring down Genna forcefully.

"Whoa, whoa, what?! I promise we didn't," Brendon half-pleaded with Stephen.

"Oh, I know. She just wanted to _prove a point_." Stephen rolled his eyes.

"I got him to admit he was wrong," Genna said, shrugging.

"Except that you could've created an enemy for me," Brendon pointed out. "I'm really sorry. I feel like I'm apologizing for my mentally ill sister or something."

"I'll live. It's me who should be apologizing for bringing her into the world, honestly," Stephen said. He pulled on a pair of gloves. "I'm off to work. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Daddy," Genna said with an innocent smile.

"Those acting skills should be taken away," Stephen said, kissing her on the forehead.

"Bye, Mr. Colbert," Brendon said.

"Oh God. Call me Stephen," Stephen said. "Makes me feel old when you call me Mr. Colbert."

"All right," Brendon said with a laugh. "Bye, Stephen."

He left the room and they heard the door open and close.

"I cannot believe you told him we slept together," Brendon said. "That's just cocky."

"Well, my plan worked! I can't say much more than that. It could've gone a lot worse. He could've found you instead and tried to strangle you or something. That would've been hard to explain."

"You're so funny," Brendon said sarcastically. "I really think you're…" His phone went off. "Sorry," he said. "It's Analeigh. Hello?" he answered the phone. "Yeah…. I stayed with Genavieve and her dad last night… It's not my place to act…. If you want…. Sure, here she is…." Brendon handed over his phone to Genavieve. He looked harassed.

"Hello?" Genavieve said, taking the phone.

"Hey, Gen!" Analeigh exclaimed. Genna honestly _loved _Analeigh. She was always so happy and talkative. They could literally talk for hours and they had before.

"Hey Ana," Genna said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I'm just finishing packing to fly up. But I really have a huge favor to ask you and you are fully capable of saying, 'No,' to this, but they messed up my flight itinerary and I'm now flying up _tonight_ as opposed to three days from now. Brendon said that the dorms have no heat or electricity and I know it's asking a lot-."

"You can stay here," Genna interrupted.

"Really? Gen, I don't want you to just be saying that. Is it all right? And it's okay with your dad?"

"Absolutely, Ana. Really, it is. We've got three extra rooms, so you can pick. Please come up. Do you have something to write down my address on?"

Genna gave her the information and they said good-bye.

"I'm really sorry. She's so rude sometimes," Brendon said, taking back his phone.

Genna laughed. "She's your cousin. I think you _have _to hate her, right? Besides, I've not been able to talk to her since the end of last quarter."

"I can't stand being in the same school with her, let alone the same house," Brendon mumbled. "But I suppose if it makes you happy, I can try not to kill her."

"Thanks, hon. It means a lot." Genna kissed him on the cheek. "So what do you want to do today? Ana's not coming until like eight tonight."

"First, we walk Tiberius," Brendon said. They had decided to name the puppy "Tiberius." Genna swore it was only because she liked the name, but Brendon made fun of her anyway, calling her a Star Trek junkie.


	12. Chapter 12

The day passed quickly. Genna had worried that Brendon and she might act differently now that they were dating, but to her great relief, everything seemed to be much better than before. Not that there had been anything wrong with their friendship, but Genna felt ten times more comfortable around him than she ever had. They were closer than ever, she felt. But sometimes she wondered if he felt the same.

"We could go on our first date," Brendon suggested. They were now lying next to each other on their backs in the middle of the gargantuan living room, staring up at the ceiling.

"It's already five o'clock," Genna said to no one in particular. "Where could we go?"

"Movies, dinner… doesn't matter to me."

"Sounds like a dream come true!" Genna said happily. "Speaking of dreams… I had a really crazy dream last night."

"What about?" Brendon asked, looking over at her.

"I dunno… it was so strange. Not the dream. I mean, it _was_ strange, but it just felt so _real_. If it had been any way feasibly possible, I would've sworn it actually happened. In the dream, I woke up and I felt so awake. And at the same time, I felt so peaceful and calm. Kind of like how I imagine meditating would be. Sort of half-asleep and happy? Anyway, the strangest part was that I was some sort of _dog_ or something." She laughed. "I think I'm spending too much time with Tib. Brendon, are you okay?" She had just looked over and saw his face was very pale and he had on a concentrated look.

Genna leaned up on her elbow. "Brendon?" she asked again, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said in barely an audible whisper.

"No, you're not, what's wrong?"

He seemed to shake himself and a sad smile replaced the pale features of his face. "It's really nothing."

"It's not nothing. You've been doing that for a while."

"Doing what?"

"Being all… weird randomly. What's the matter?" Genna was trying not to sound aggravated but she couldn't help but feel like he was keeping something from her.

"Gen, I think you need to know something really important. But I'm going to sound absolutely insane and you're probably going to get angry or something…"

"What are you talking about?" Genna felt terrible, like the way she feels when she's about to get really bad news. Like how she felt before hearing that her mom had died.

Brendon sat up and stared at the wall opposite him as if thinking.

"Brendon, you're scaring me," Genna said, sitting up too. "Just tell me."

"I think…" He paused and breathed out. He stared Genna straight in the eye and said, "I think you might be a… well, I'm pretty sure you're a werewolf."

Genna stared at him blankly. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?! I thought you were serious!" She pushed him playfully and gave a small laugh, but he never broke a smile. "You're kidding, right? That's one of the most ridiculous things I've heard! _Werewolf_? Honestly." She laughed softly.

"I'm not kidding. It's not a joke," Brendon said. "I told you I was going to sound crazy, didn't I? But I'm almost certain you are now. That dream _wasn't_ a dream. It was real. The feeling of peace? It's a characteristic of werewolves."

"Brendon, now you're _really_ freaking me out," Genna said.

"I'm not trying to! You asked why I've been acting funny and this is it! I was worried… and now I know. Genna if it's true, I don't think we can be together."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I've held on this long," Genna said, "but there's no way I'm going to let you go crazy on me if it means breaking up. Why on earth can't we be together if I'm a _werewolf_?" She said the word with disgust.

"Because… I'm a Vampire…" he said slowly.

"Now I really feel stupid. This conversation is over." Genna made to get up, but Brendon grabbed her hand.

"I can prove it," he said.

"Oh boy. I can't wait," Genna said, folding her arms across her chest. "Please. Astonish me."

"Well, I can't prove my part. That's all you. I think if you turned I could resist. I've had some practice, anyway."

The way he seemed so serious made Genna want to puke. He couldn't possibly mean any of it. It was so stupid.

"And what am I supposed to do? Wait till the full moon?" Genna rolled her eyes. "This is ridiculous," she muttered.

"No, that's a myth. But a lot of the myths are true part way. Just… bear with me? Please?"

Genna didn't say anything even when he stood up.

"Okay. Well, in order to turn you have to get really emotionless I think. Like meditation, I guess. Like you said." Brendon's eyes pleaded with Genna to listen, but she was done with it.

"I'm not going to," she said. "This is so stupid."

"Please, Gen. _Please_." He was practically begging.

"Fine," Genna finally said. "Whatever."

"Sorry I made you angry, but you're going to have to get rid of that anger," Brendon said.

Genna closed her eyes, not even believing she was listening to the lunatic in front of her. She tried to clear her mind, which was more difficult than usual, but she'd had some practice with meditation. She seemed to back into the recesses of her mind where there was actually a feeling of deep peacefulness unlike anything she'd felt before…

…except for last night. It felt just like the dream. She reached for it in her mind and allowed herself to become swallowed in the feeling. After a moment or two that felt like years of blissful relaxation, Genna opened her eyes. She was sitting.

Then she realized she wasn't sitting, she was standing; she was just significantly shorter. Genna looked down at her feet. She almost jumped halfway into the air when she saw two giant paws instead of her hands. She felt the adrenaline rush through and gave herself three seconds to calm down before walking over to the full-length mirror next to the loveseat.

Genna definitely looked like a wolf. _At least I don't look like the werewolves in _Harry Potter, she thought.

She judged she was probably two and half feet at the shoulder – about the size of a Great Dane – with substantially more fur. It was all white and she still had her normal ice blue eyes.

"_Genna_."

She snapped her head around to look at Brendon. He looked like he was holding onto the wall for dear life, or like he was struggling with an extremely heavy weight.

"You… need to change back," he gasped out.

Genna panicked. How the heck was she supposed to do that? She figured it must be the same way she transformed in the first place, but she was much less relaxed. Would she even be able to focus enough? She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Luckily, she could feel where she needed to go with much more ease this time.

When Genna opened her eyes again, she was human. She immediately looked to Brendon who no longer looked like he was dying, but still seemed a little shaken up.

"Um. Are you all right?" Genna asked, taking a step closer. He held up his hand and she stopped.

"I'll be fine. Just give me a second." He took several deep breaths as he leaned against the wall. Finally, with Genna's mind full of queries, he smiled at her. Genna was relieved, but her silence didn't last long.

"_What. The. Heck?_" she asked.

"Told you so," Brendon said. His voice was a little weak, but he seemed marginally better once he sat on the couch. Genna joined him, but she kept her distance just in case he wasn't entirely better.

"So, what just happened?" Genna was seriously trying to put some things together.

He pointed to himself. "I'm a Vampire." He pointed at Genna. "You're a Wolf."

"A _wolf_? That's an understatement."

" 'Wolf' with a capital 'W'," Brendon corrected. "Different thing completely. Um. Well, there's a lot to tell you, I guess. And I won't know half of what you should probably learn from your dad."

"My _Dad_?" Genna asked in disbelief. "Is he a… a _Wolf_?"

Brendon shrugged. "I don't know. But if he isn't, then your mom was and he'll know about that. It's always a direct line."

Genna's mouth was agape. She would've driven him straight to the looney bin if she hadn't seen it herself. She didn't want to believe it.

"Can we go somewhere?" Genna asked suddenly.

"Sorry?"

"Somewhere. Please? Just not here. Not home. I need to get out. Please."

"I guess…" Brendon gave her a hesitant look, but she pretended not to notice.


	13. Chapter 13

"Perfect," Genna said. They were in a crowded restaurant ten minutes away from the house. "This is great." She felt less out-of-whack here with all these normal people milling about and talking.

"Um. I hate to break it to you, but this whole situation isn't exactly common knowledge," Brendon said, glancing around nervously.

"I know," Genna said rubbing her now aching head. "It's just… I needed to be someplace with people. Normal people. Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Brendon said, though he said it out of habit. "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Everything you know," Genna said immediately.

"Well…" He lowered his voice. "_People like you_ and _people like me_, no one knows how it all started. What scientists have figured out is that it's genetic."

"Scientists? So there are other people who know about… us?"

"Um. I think there are a select few. But the scientists themselves were probably like us. Normal people don't want to know we exist. Can you imagine the holocaust that would cause? People would freak out. Anyway, our history is full of fiction, myth, and legend. Little to nothing can be known for sure about either of our… species."

Brendon cleared his throat and continued, "People like me are said to have once been a very peaceful people who were very rich and prosperous. Yours were more nomadic; they were shepherds and farmers.

"There were two royal families: one from your people, one from mine. Someone or something had killed the sons of both the royal families, the next to take the thrones. Each kingdom blamed the other. My people, rich and wealthy, threatened to quit buying your people's products if you didn't confess what you'd done. And your people threatened to stop selling products to my people. Consequently, that was almost an agreement. My people began trading with a small, poor civilization, presumably the normal human population."

The waitress stopped at the table and they ordered drinks quickly before Brendon continued.

"Your people, they continued to travel. It had seemed to end more peaceably than any impending war had before. But that was before a small group of activists started up. On both sides, they rose in anger and revenge, determined to exterminate the other's people completely. More deaths ensued. A war broke out. Thousands of people died on both sides.

"Of course, most of that is legend, but it seems feasible to me and most other people like me. I assume the story is a bit different, depending which side you ask, but you'll have to live with my story. So fact or not, the next part is a bit fuzzy.

"According to the research I've done, the Vamp-… uh… my people, I mean, won the war and the few people who survived of your clan fled to the mountains where they were outcasted forever. They promised to get revenge on my people someday. They are said to have become so comfortable on the mountain that they actually befriended the wolves that lived there. They studied magic and taught themselves to take the shape of what was supposedly the fastest, smartest, and strongest animal: the wolf."

The waitress came back with their drinks and when they told her they weren't ordering food, she seemed a little grumpy, but left them alone.

"But that doesn't really match up with other stories – stories that I assume come from your people," Brendon continued. "That _your_ people won the war and _my _people were exiled into a desert area called "The Waste," where, in order to survive, they had to kill that already-mentioned small population that was probably the normal human race. Hence the blood-sucking myth."

"So it is a myth?" Genna asked.

Brendon raised an eyebrow. "You've seen me eat, haven't you?"

"Edward ate normal food. He just said it would be like what normal people would think about eating dirt."

"Edward?" Brendon asked.

"Edward Cullen," Genna clarified, somewhat embarrassed. "From _Twilight_."

"Oh dear God. Please don't compare me to Edward."

"So what's fact and fiction then?" Genna asked, steering away from the fantasy novels.

"Most of it's fiction," Brendon said. "You don't change on the full moon or any lunar cycle, for that matter. My knowledge of your race is a bit less than my own, though. Um. I love garlic, I don't think I can turn into a bat, I don't have too pointy ears, I don't normally wear a cape, and I'm pretty sure I can go outside in the sun."

"Fangs?" Genna inquired.

"Yeah. Well, kind of. Not right now, obviously. But when I turn I do."

"You turn too? Into what? Is it kind of the same as mine? Not a wolf, but I mean the whole mediation thing? And do you or don't you drink blood?" Genna blurted out.

Brendon laughed. "Um. When I turn, I look basically the same. Minus the fangs. And I might… well, I do drink blood. Hold on, hold on!" he said quickly, checking the disgusted look on Genna's face. "It's not like that. You don't understand. Vampires don't _want_ to turn. We're nothing like you in that sense. It's a curse." His expression darkened considerably. "When I turn," he said quietly, "I'm incapable of controlling what I do. I become bloodthirsty. But I don't change often. If I'm under a ton of stress – be it emotional, physical, or psychological – I might change easier if I'm not careful. I've pretty much mastered the art of controlling my changes.

"I do know that it gets ten times harder not to change when I see a Wolf in full form. Which is why it was risky for you to change. I would've tried to kill you, Gen." He gave her a significant look.

"But how come I don't lose control?" Genna asked.

"Well, if you believe the histories, which I do to an extent, then you'll notice that your people _chose_ to become like wolves. They became friends with another creature and harnessed that power. But we… we were forced to kill innocents. A bloody stain on any race, I assure you."

"So um… so you said we couldn't be together?" Genna had been waiting to ask that question for a while and she dreaded the answer.

"Well, you can understand why, can't you? I'm supposed to hate you. You're supposed to hate me, Genna. If I ever hurt you…"

"You won't hurt me," Genna said, though she'd lost some of her confidence back with the sucking blood thing. "I trust you."

"_I_ don't trust me," Brendon said seriously. "If you ever turned on accident… and I wasn't ready…"

"Why would I change? I'd have to be mediating!"

"I don't think so. If I'm not mistaken, it's now a lot easier to go back and forth right?"

Genna nodded.

"That just means it's easier for you change unexpectedly under pressure. Becoming a Wolf has now ingrained itself into your fight-or-flight reaction. Both sides. You're faster _and_ stronger as a Wolf."

"I don't care," Genna said defiantly. "We're not breaking up."

"It's not a _choice_, Gen!" Brendon said angrily. "I wish it was, but it's not!"

Genna cringed.

"I'm sorry," he said blankly. "But I won't hurt you. I won't do it."

Genna felt tears brim her eyes. "Then why did you come here at all if you already knew we couldn't be together?"

"I didn't know! I didn't know until you told me you'd never had your first kiss!"

"What?" Genna asked, shocked out of tears for a moment.

"Well, that's how most people turn into a either a Vampire or Wolf. They... have their first kiss by someone they love." He blushed a little.

"Who did you kiss?" Genna asked, knowing how vindictive that question sounded.

"I was only in kindergarten," Brendon said defensively. "I guess I _thought_ it was love. Or something."

Genna hated to admit it, even to herself, but that made her happy. "So… so what? I got my first kiss. It's not like I changed right there."

"Well, I was always wary about other people. You can never tell if they're different until you ask, so I asked you how you felt. And you told me exactly what I didn't want to hear: stronger, powerful, and peaceful. The exact way you felt as a full-fledged Wolf, right?"

Genna didn't answer. He was right. She _had_ felt amazing. And she remembered how he'd acted strange after that…

"Was it your mom or dad?" Genna asked as a change of subject. She would come back to the breaking up thing later.

"My mom," Brendon said with a traceable hint of pride.

"Is there anyone else I should know of who is a Wolf or Vampire?" Genna asked.

"Analeigh," Brendon admitted. "She's a Vampire. Um. Well, either your mom or dad, but you know that. We're not that common, though. We're sort of a dying race, both you and I."

The waitress came back with the bill of a total of five dollars. Genna tipped her one hundred percent just to make her happy. Brendon and Genna got back into Genna's car and she drove back home. It was already seven o'clock and Analeigh was supposed to come at eight.


	14. Chapter 14

"Can I at least tell Analeigh?" Genna asked. "I really want to."

Brendon hesitated. "I guess," he said finally.

Genna couldn't stand to bring up their possible break up again, so she kept quiet. Analeigh arrived almost right on time. Genna didn't expect her dad to be home until at least twelve in the morning, so she would have plenty of time to talk to Ana about the current situation. But first, they were going to catch up.

"So basically I got a car," Ana was saying. "But it was mom's so I really… don't consider it a great gift." She laughed. "I guess I'm happy with it, though."

They were all seated in the living room. Brendon was uncharacteristically quiet and seated on the opposite end of the loveseat, practically feet from Genna on the other end. Genna felt like she had cooties or something. _Stupid Vampires_, she thought to herself.

"So what'd you guys do so far?" Analeigh asked, taking a sip from the hot tea Genna had brewed up for herself and Ana. Brendon had given a curt shake of the head when Genna had asked. Ana had then made fun of him.

Genna gave Brendon a significant look, but he appeared busy looking at his hands folded in front of him. "Well, yesterday he got me Tiberius, here." Genna motioned towards the puppy asleep at her feet. "Then we went on a walk…" Brendon shot her a warning glance, but she plowed on. "And he told me he loved me, we kissed, started dating, talked about sex, woke up the next morning, walked the dog, discovered that I was a Wolf, and that you and Brendon are vampires, and then you showed up."

The room was awkwardly quiet for a moment. Ana looked shocked beyond all get-out. She kept looking at Brendon, but he had his face buried in his hands.

"_You're a Wolf?_" Ana asked.

Well, it could've been a worse question. "Yeah," Genna said.

"Wow… That is so _cool_! Can I see?" Her light brown eyes glowed with excitement.

"Absolutely not!" Brendon said sternly. "This is why I didn't want you telling her!"

"You never told me not to tell her!" Genna snapped back. "As a matter of fact, you've not said a word to me since we _broke up_." She practically snarled at him.

Ana was taking the fight in. "Wait. You broke up?"

Genna thrust her thumb towards Brendon. "It was all _him_."

Ana looked at him for an explanation.

"It's too dangerous," he said angrily. "I would end up hurting you!" Brendon pleaded. He was now looking at Genna, but she refused to be sucked in by his puppy eyes of despair.

"Rubbish," Ana said definitively. "Don't listen to him, Gen. He's delusional. My mom – his aunt – is a Wolf, and he's fine around her!"

"I'm not _dating_ her!" Brendon spat.

Ana ignored him. "He used to come over all the time and play. It was fine. She even turned once on accident and he was okay! And he was only thirteen!"

"It was only luck," Brendon mumbled, but he seemed uncertain.

"I can't believe you'd break up with her, Brendon," Ana said in disbelief. "You're such a jerk."

"I was only trying to keep you safe," he said sadly, looking back at Genna again.

Genna frowned. "I already told you, Brendon. You're not going to hurt me. I'll be really careful. And I know you will, too. Please, Brendon? Brenny-bear?"

He half-grinned at the lost nickname. There was a long ten second pause before he said, "Fine. But you will be _extremely_ careful. _Extremely_."

Ana shot a huge smile at Genna. "I'm just like Hitch!" she said.

"Thanks, Ana," Genna said. "And I _will_ be careful," she assured Brendon.

"Now kiss," Ana said in a diplomatic voice, waving at them with her hand.

Genna gave Brendon a half-smile and he leaned over and kissed her. Ana clapped happily.

"So, what does your dad think?" Ana asked blissfully.

"Dad, I think you're hiding something from me," Genna said as soon as Stephen had stepped through the front door.

"Um. You were adopted?"

Genna almost would've freaked out if she hadn't looked so much like her mother and her dad hadn't made that joke all the time.

"I'm a Wolf, Dad."

He stopped undoing his tie for half of a second before smiling over at her with that goofy Daddy-is-so-proud smile.

"You had your first kiss," he said.

"Duh. A little forewarning would've been nice," Genna said with mock-anger.

He shrugged. "I only heard that you hadn't had your first kiss a bit ago. For the longest time, I thought you just hadn't inherited _anything_ but that red hair. Where are Ana and Brendon?" He scanned the foyer.

"They're already asleep. They wanted me to be able to talk to you alone. So was Mom…?"

"No," Stephen said, undoing his tie completely and hanging it on a coat hanger along with his suit jacket. "I'm the Wolf."

"_What?!_" Genna practically shouted. "How is that possible! I've _never_ seen you change!"

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't exactly go frolicking every night, do I?"

"Well… I just don't understand why you wouldn't tell me," Genna said, kind of hurt.

"It wasn't anything personal, Gen. You know that." He folded his arms across his chest. "Would you have believed me, Gen? I'm pretty sure you would've had me committed to a psycho ward. It was something your mother and I had decided on before you were even born."

Genna thought for a second. "Fine," she said finally. "But now what? What do I do?"

Stephen looked confused. "What do you mean? You go on living life normally. Go to college. Make friends. _Keep_ boyfriends… or friend." He grinned. "And sleep."

"All right. Good night, Dad."

"Good night Dare bear."

She climbed the stairs and headed to her room. On the way there, she heard voices coming from Ana's room. It was Brendon and Ana and they were talking in hushed voices. Had they heard Genna come up? She crept closer, not making a sound.

She heard Ana saying, "…when she finds out!"

There was silence for a moment before Brendon said, "I'm certain she won't because there's no _reason_ for her to know. But this is the real reason, the real problem. You know what they'd do if they found out?"

"I know," Ana said, obviously exasperated. "But I think you guys… I think you guys can do this! You _really_ like Genna. I know you do. Don't mess this up just because of them."

Genna didn't understand who "they" were, but she hated them.

"I think you should tell her," Ana said finally. Brendon started to say something, but Ana cut him off. "She will understand! But… that's your choice. Not mine."

"I don't understand why she has to know," Brendon said miserably. "It's pointless anyway. I ran away, didn't I? I didn't want to be a part of that anymore."

"Just imagine what you would prove to them if you and Gen worked out!" Ana exclaimed dreamily.

Brendon scoffed. "They're probably never going to know. Anyway, I better get to bed. Genna should be pretty close to done talking to her dad."

Genna quickly backed away so that she was three stairs from the top and made noticeable footsteps coming up. Just as she reached the landing, Brendon came out of the room and smiled at her.

_Rotten sneak_, Genna thought, but she smiled back.

"We were just talking," Brendon said.

Genna half-hoped he would go on and explain what, but he didn't so she yawned widely instead. "I'm off to bed," she said. She wrapped her arms around him and he kissed her on the forehead.

"Sorry for breaking up with you today," he said with a grin.

Genna sighed. "I guess it's okay. Just don't let it happen again."

Brendon laughed and let her go. "I'll see you in the morning," he said.

Genna was thoroughly disappointed that he hadn't told her whatever had been bothering him. She decided to sleep it off.

That night, she remembered changing again, only briefly. At least she thought it was only briefly, but she had fallen asleep almost immediately after waking up. She felt safe as a wolf, she realized. And it wasn't just because she was twenty times stronger or faster. She didn't know why. She just felt _better_.


	15. Chapter 15

Brendon paced his room all night. Sometimes it was better than sitting and _pretending_ to sleep.

_Oops. Forgot to tell Genna that one, _he thought.

He didn't mean to hide from her the fact that vampires didn't need to sleep, he was just so used to lying by then, it came as second nature. He made a mental note to inform her the next morning.

He wondered about her dad. Did she tell her dad about him and Ana? Would he be okay with it once he did know? If he ever knew…

He wished he wasn't a vampire anymore. It made things so much more complicated.

He stopped pacing for a second. He listened across the hall where Genna was sleeping. She had mumbled something in her sleep, but he didn't hear what. He sat down in the armchair next to his own personal dresser.

Brendon had never really thought about whether Genna was rich or not. He guessed he should've known; her dad was famous, after all. But Genna had a way of throwing together outfits that didn't exactly look Sax Avenue. She never talked about her money, for that matter. It was amazing. Brendon hadn't been in a house this big _ever_. He kind of gained a new sense of reverence for Genna's ability to keep quiet about her money, in what she said and in what she wore. She wasn't even going to Harvard, or any other Ivy League school.

It made Brendon somewhat bitter; she had all this money, she could probably do anything she wanted to, and yet she was going to a second-rate college. He didn't quite understand her way of thinking, but he supposed he would get to ask her that sometime…

Which brought his mind to their relationship. He had serious doubts. It depressed him to know that there was not one other Wolf - Vampire couple on record yet. It was entirely unheard of in his family. So why was Genna so keen to hang on? And why on Earth did he give in?

He unconsciously looked through at the opposite wall that separated his room from Ana's.

Maybe Ana knew something he didn't. Maybe that was why she was so optimistic about their relationship. Or maybe she was jumping blindly into something that, if it failed, wouldn't be her problem to clean up.

Okay, and maybe Brendon should give her the benefit of the doubt; that was a bit harsh. He stretched his arms out in front of him and decided he'd be more comfortable lying in bed.

Maybe he and Genna could work out by some miracle. He was scared of what would happen if she changed unexpectedly in front of him. Disaster, for sure. He had hardly hung on in the living room earlier that day when she'd changed for the first time deliberately.

Brendon shut down his mind. He hated not sleeping; it gave him more time to think. He closed his eyes in a half-hearted attempt, but he felt wide-awake like always. He wondered if Ana was still thinking about their conversation…

_Goodnight, brain_, Brendon thought loudly to himself.

"Good morning, good morning." Stephen greeted a groggy Genna early the next morning.

Genna mumbled something incoherent and slumped into a chair. She buried her face in her arms and sighed deeply.

"I hope you don't get _too_ used to sleeping in. You have to go back to school in a couple days."

Genna held up seven fingers. "I still have a week," she said.

"What're you planning on doing New Year's?" he asked as a change of subject.

"Nothing yet," Genna realized. She wondered if Brendon had planned something yet… "Why? Have you got something planned?"

Stephen shook his head. "Nope. Just wondering. Normally couples have big plans. Just saying."

"How about you?" Genna asked, throwing her dad a dark look.

"Well, that's kind of what I wanted to get to." His voice had taken on a serious tone, even though he was still smiling.

"You do have plans?" Genna asked, kind of surprised.

"Yeah, I do…" He was watching Genna's face carefully. "I'm going on a date."

"With a girl?"

"Yeah. Well, with a woman, Gen. I hope you're okay with that."

Genna had never thought about her dad dating another woman. It took a moment to register; was it okay with her? She didn't know…

"I don't know," Genna answered truthfully. "Who is she?" she asked, determined to gain time to think.

"A woman I work with. You've never met her."

"Name?"

"Alice."

"Last name?"

"Lock."

"What does she do?"

"She's the assistant director of my show."

Genna felt out of breath. "I have to use the bathroom," she lied.

"Gen, I want you to be okay with this before I ask her."

"You haven't asked her already?" Genna felt a flicker of hope.

"No, not yet. Well, technically I have. I told her I'd have to talk to my daughter first since she was visiting."

"Oh. Well… I just think… why do you have to date?" Genna cleared her throat, afraid she might burst.

He laughed humorlessly. "Well, don't you think it's about time? It's been four, almost five years since Mom died."

"Well, I haven't forgotten about her," Genna said defiantly, knowing she probably sounded juvenile and silly.

"Neither have I!" he replied. "You know that. Come on, Gen. Work with me, here."

"I don't understand why you have to go and date when you only love Mom," she said, her eyes filling with tears. She swallowed.

"Mom's dead," Stephen said sternly. "I can't live in the past forever!"

"Forget it," Genna muttered and started to leave.

"I can't believe you're going to be like this," Stephen gave her a disappointed look, but she pretended not to notice and walked out of the kitchen.

She waited in the hallway until she heard him get up and head out the door.

"You okay?"

Genna looked around and found Brendon staring at her worriedly.

"I heard yelling," he explained. "Are you all right?"

"Fine. I don't want to talk about it," Genna said angrily.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Genna snapped. She walked back into the kitchen in a fury. Brendon held his tongue.

"Morning, all!" Ana's cheerful voice came from around the corner. She stopped in the doorway at the look on both Brendon and Genna's faces. "Who died?" she asked.

Brendon shrugged and Genna stared moodily at her fingers. Ana and Brendon exchanged a look. Ana helped herself to some cereal and sat across from Genna at the kitchen island. Brendon stood off the to the side.

"So what's up?" Ana asked, eating a spoonful of cereal.

Genna sighed. "My dad says he- he says he wants to start dating other people. Or one person. Some lady called Alice. I don't know…"

Ana nodded knowingly. "I know what that's like. When my dad died and my mom started dating other guys, I hated it. I stayed out of the house most of the time, though. That was a little better. Generally, I ran away to Brendon's." She motioned her spoon in Brendon's direction.

"Not helping," Genna mumbled.

"I know, I know. Um. Well, I just know it's hard. And it's super weird. But it's okay in the end." She smiled widely, but Genna just felt sick to her stomach.

"Don't you think your dad deserves someone?" Brendon asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

Genna turned around and glared at him. "What do you mean?" she asked, every word acid.

"Why are you so angry at me?" he asked, clearly confused.

"You're a _guy_," Ana explained, as if it were the simplest concept.

"I just think that with you gone at college for the next four years, maybe eight, and then you'll be getting a job, your own house… he'll need someone here, don't you think?" Brendon said, ignoring Ana's comment.

"No," Genna said bluntly.

"I actually agree with Brendon," Ana said regretfully. "I think you should give your dad a chance."

"I know I _should_, but I don't _want_ to!" Genna complained loudly. "What happened to Mom?"

"I think that he still loves her, Gen, but he's got to find someone else to care for. Do you really think your mom would've wanted your dad to grow old alone and without you?" Brendon asked.

"He still loves her," Ana assured Genna. "It _is_ possible to love more than one person in a lifetime. She won't be replaced."

Genna half-wished it had been her dad telling her these things, but she felt better all the same. "I'll think about it," Genna finally said.

"So what're we going to do today?" Ana asked excitedly. Always willing to break the silence.

Genna shrugged. "Dunno. Oh. Well, the reason my dad even brought this thing up was because he asked what we were doing for New Year's."

"Oh please. I'm leaving you guys alone. I don't want to be an intruder, here." Ana grinned at Genna.

"Ana, you won't be," Genna said.

"Even if I won't, I'm leaving that night up to you guys," Ana insisted.

Genna looked at Brendon expectedly. He looked troubled.

"Sorry I yelled at you," Genna apologized. "I was just kind of upset."

"No, it's not that," Brendon said slowly. "I just can't understand. I thought you said you and your dad _never_ fought."

Genna shrugged. "We don't," she said simply. "But… I just got angry. I'll apologize when he gets home. Why? You seem disturbed by it," Genna added with a laugh.


	16. Chapter 16

"I always fight with my dad," he said. "Different opinions and stuff…"

"We're not exactly normal," Genna assured him. "Most parents and their kids fight, Bren. It's just… my dad and I don't fight because we kind of have an unspoken truce from way back when."

"Unspoken truce?" Ana asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. Well, It was when I was a freshman in high school, so it was less than a year after Mom died. She died in January and school started in August. Um. Dad had just gotten on _The_ _Daily Show_ with Jon Stewart and he was always really busy with work and stuff. I guess I felt really left out, in a way. I mean, the first couple months after Mom died, we were practically inseparable, but that was the end of a season of _The Daily Show_, so he didn't have to work, really. But then the season started back up again in August, just when I was starting school. So I just felt so alone all the time…" Genna replayed the story to them.

She was back in high school with only a couple years behind her in Montclair, New Jersey and no new friends. The problem with being rich was you were capable of going to prestigious private schools where your classmates were _also_ rich. And most rich people are, yes, brats.

So Genna not only had a problem in general making friends, she didn't even want to try with a bunch of snobby rich white kids. There were a couple people she would talk to during classes, and during lunch, but no one she really connected with.

But there was always theatre. Theatre class and the drama club kept Genna occupied enough to not care whether she had friends. She'd been casted as the Queen of Hearts in _Alice In Wonderland_.

The day she found out, she went straight home to tell her dad.

"Dad, Dad! Look, look, look!" she yelled excitedly, bursting into the living room.

He looked up. "What'd you do now?"

She handed over the slip of paper that listed the names of all the actors and their parts in the play. Her name was second so it only took a moment for her dad to say, "That's fantastic, Gen! When does it go on?"

Genna thought. "I wrote it down," she remembered out loud, searching her shoulder bag for her agenda. She took it out and flipped a couple months ahead. "Um… I have here December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. That weekend." She looked at her dad expectantly, but he looked regretful. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Well, it's just that that weekend is the weekend we have booked for working on the Christmas special of _The Daily Show_. That entire weekend, plus every week after until Christmas week. I don't have off until then…" He saw the distraught on Genna's face. "But I might be able to make it, depending on the times," he said desperately.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter," Genna said bluntly. She turned and walked up to her room where she cried. He wasn't able to anything anymore because of that stupid job. How many times had she asked to go out and he'd said he couldn't? And how many times had he asked how school was or if she was making friends? Practically never, she decided.

The next day when she came home, she felt much worse and must have looked it, too.

"Listen, Gen," Stephen said. "I talked to some people and they said I can take off that weekend to see your play!"

"Doesn't matter. I quit," Genna told him angrily.

"You quit? Gen, come on. I'm sorry. I am. But you quit?"

"Yeah, I _quit_, Dad," Genna snarled. "So don't pretend to give a fuck!"

She stormed up to her room, finished her homework, and tried to fall asleep. She half-expected, and half-wished that her dad would come to her room and try to apologize, or yell at her or _something_. But he never came. The later it got, the more depressed Genna got.

It started to rain. She heard the heavy drops on the glass doors that led out to her balcony.

_How appropriate_, Genna thought to herself. She listened in silence. _That's not rain_, she realized. The raindrops were way to far apart… She got off her bed and went to her door. There was nothing there. She opened the doors and stepped out to check for rain. Nothing. She sighed. It was nice out. She leaned against the railing of the balcony and looked down and almost screamed.

Down below was her dad. He had a boombox sitting next to him on the ground. She could only guess he'd been throwing _rocks_ at her window. She turned to go back into her room. Whatever he had planned was _not_ going to make her stop hating him. Then, music started playing. She stopped and almost hit herself for listening, but she did anyway.

She walked back over and looked down warily. It was a song she'd never heard. Better yet, he had giant white poster boards just large enough that she could read what was on them.

"I'm sorry, Genavieve" was written on the first. He dropped it to the ground to reveal the second. "I love you," it said.

She suddenly realized that he'd probably taken the giant white poster board idea from _Love Actually_, one of her favorite movies.

On the rest of the cards were written the lyrics of the song:

"You left me hanging from the thread/

We once swung from together/

I've licked my wounds/

But I can't ever see them getting better/

Something's gotta change/

Things cannot stay the same/

Her hair was pressed against her face/

Her eyes were red with anger/

Enraged by things unsaid/

And empty beds and bad behavior/

Something's gotta change/

It must be rearranged/

I'm sorry/

I did not mean to hurt my little girl/

It's beyond me/

I cannot carry the weight of the heavy world/

So goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight/

Goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight/

Hope that things work out all right/

The room was silent/

As we all tried so hard to remember/

The way it feels to be alive/

The day that he first met her/

Something's gotta change/

Things cannot stay the same/

You make me think of someone wonderful/

But I can't place her/

I wake up every morning/

Wishing one more time to face her/

Something's gotta change/

It must be rearranged/

I'm sorry/

I did not mean to hurt my little girl/

It's beyond me/

I cannot carry the weight of the heavy world/

So goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight/

Goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight/

Hope that things work out all right/

So much to love/

So much to learn/

But I won't be there to teach you/

I know I can't be close/

But I'll try my best to reach you/

I'm so sorry/

I did not mean to hurt my little girl/

It's beyond me/

I cannot carry the weight of the heavy world/

So goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight/

Goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight goodnight/

Hope that things work out all right"


	17. Chapter 17

By the time the song ended, Genna was in tears. Damn forgiveness. She raced downstairs as fast as she could and threw her arms around her father's neck. "I'm so sorry," she said over and over.

"No, Gen, I'm sorry," Stephen said finally. "I've put work first for way too long and it's time I started putting the one person in the world I love the most first."

Genna sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I love you, Dad."

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard," Ana said.

Genna laughed. "Yeah. Well, since then, we don't really fight seriously. And he did keep his promise. He never missed another play I was in."

"Wow. Man. I wish my dad and I had been like that," Ana said jealously. "Even when he was he alive, we didn't really get along. Differing opinions, I guess." She shrugged.

"Trust me. Our relationship is a weird one," Genna said. "I think most parents are kind of 'stuck in the past', right? Well, with Dad so into politics and today and all that, his views tend to be more… well… recent."

"That is so _cool_," Ana half-complained. "I wish my parents were anyway in touch with reality. I love my mom, believe me, but she's so out of it sometimes."

Genna laughed. She noticed Brendon's silence and looked over at him. He was gone.

"Where'd he go?" Genna asked, looking around.

"He left after the story." She lowered her voice. "He doesn't really like talking about his parents."

"Why not? I knew his parents back in South Carolina. They seemed nice."

Brendon came back into the room and seemed to be glaring at the back of Ana's head. She tensed.

"I wasn't going to tell her," Ana snapped, flipping around in her seat to glare back at Brendon.

"Tell me what?" Genna asked defiantly, knowing this was somehow connected to what the two been talking about the night before.

"Nothing," Brendon said, still glaring at Ana.

"Tell her, Brendon," Ana said.

"Tell me _what_?!" Genna was getting angry.

"Nothing!" Brendon said, starting to get desperate.

"Nothing, my ass," Ana said, raising an eyebrow.

Brendon seemed to fight with something in the back of his mind. "I don't want to tell you," he said finally, looking at Genna.

Genna tensed her jaw. "Why can't you tell me?"

"I don't know how you'll react," he tried to explain.

"Whatever." Genna rolled her eyes and looked down at the kitchen island counter.

"Don't be like that. I want to tell you, it's just… I don't know how… I don't know how you'll react. I'm not _proud_ of what I am."

"A vampire?"

"Besides that."

"A… boy?"

Brendon looked desperate.

"Well, spit it out!" Genna snapped.

Brendon exchanged a look with Ana before looking back at Genna. "Do you remember that story I told you? About the two royal families and the war and all that between Wolves and Vampires?"

Genna nodded.

"Well, I'm the… I'm a prince, I guess. Well, I mean I _am_ the prince… of that royal Vampire family."

Genna was shocked. "They… wait…" She caught her breath. "So you actually… you're actually… I mean, the families… they exist?"

"Yeah. Well, the royal Vampire family does, at least. Our sides tend to keep to themselves so I honestly don't know if your royalty survived."

"Why is this a problem?" Genna asked.

Brendon was taken aback. "I- I- Don't you know what this means?"

Genna raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's just… I mean, the Vampires – the entire race or whatever, that is – _hates_ Wolves. And I'm the _prince_. I'm supposed to _really_ hate you. But I'm dating you."

"Your mom and dad, though…"

"The people you met in South Carolina weren't my real mom and dad," Brendon confessed. "My aunt and uncle, actually. But I called them mom and dad because they were more like parents than my real ones."

"And your real parents… are the king and queen of the Vampires," Genna realized.

"Yeah. I lived with my aunt and uncle during the school year because my parents thought that I would have more opportunities over here or something?"

"Over here?" Genna asked.

"They live in Europe," Brendon clarified. "England, actually. So, I only went home during the summers."

Genna suddenly remembered that every year that she'd known Brendon, he'd always spent the summer elsewhere.

"So… So, what do you plan to do?" Genna asked.

Brendon shrugged. "I denounced my title long ago. As far as my life is concerned, prince will never be one of them. Nor king, for that matter."

"Then why would you hide it from me?"

"I didn't… well, I did. But… I don't know… I just thought you'd react badly."

"Why would I care if you were some prince?" Genna asked seriously. "I'm not exactly in this for the money. Honestly, Brendon, you don't know me at all."

He seemed hurt by her words, so she toned down her disappointment.

"I don't see anything wrong with this set up," Genna declared. "Do you have anything else to tell me?"

Brendon shook his head. "I think we're okay. I just… I don't know… how this is going to work."

"How what's going to work?"

Brendon was silent for a moment. Ana shifted awkwardly in her chair. "Never mind," he said finally. "I think we'll be okay." But he seemed shaken by something.


	18. Chapter 18

Genna knew something was still bothering Brendon, and it finally came bubbling to the surface the day before the New Year began. Analeigh had found herself caught up studying for upcoming exams and had locked herself in her room for the day, vowing to not come downstairs until five in the evening. It was three o'clock. Genna had also spoken to her dad about the date and had (though skeptically) given him permission to take Alice out on New Year's Eve.

"I'm… worried," Brendon said, looking up at Genna's pale face from where he sat on the floor, his back against her calves as she sat in the chair behind him. They were watching _The Office_, but Genna could tell he was only half paying attention.

"About what?" Genna asked, trying to show indifference to the matter while in truth her hearing had become intent on his every word. She had been waiting for this outburst everyday.

"About us," he said. He turned around and rested his head on her kneecap.

"What's the problem dear?" she asked, sliding off the chair and cuddling up next to him.

He slipped his arm around her, but there was something robotic and formal about it. She looked up at him.

"Have you thought about… I don't know… the future?" he asked.

"That's vague. Of course I have. I'm in college for that reason, aren't I?"

"Not that kind of future," Brendon said. "I mean _our _future."

Genna leaned away from him and threw him a skeptical look. "You're not going to propose to me, are you?" she asked.

He half grinned. "No. Not yet. But… but that's kind of what I'm talking about."

Genna settled back down next to him, but her mind started churning his words. "Spit it out, would you?" Genna said nervously.

"Well, you say no sex before marriage," Brendon said slowly.

"You're not going to try to convince me otherwise," Genna demanded.

"Not trying to," Brendon replied at once. "But that does mean you want to… you know… have sex _after_ marriage."

"Well, sure. I mean, I want kids. But first comes the stable job and such."

"Right. But… I don't think… I don't think _we_… can have… sex," Brendon said, blushing a light pink.

"What makes you say that?" Genna asked, glad to finally know what was bugging him all this time.

"Both you and I transform in high emotion. That means depression and anger, but that also means extreme elation…. And as much as I've heard about sex, it's normally not the most moderate thing to go through."

"Basically you're saying we can't because we might transform during sex?" Genna repeated in layman's terms.

"Right," Brendon said lamely.

Genna thought about it. He was right, though. High emotion could make her change. It hadn't happened yet, but who knows? A thought occurred to Genna suddenly. "Well… why don't I ask my dad?"

"Your dad?"

"Sure. I mean… he obviously has had sex to have me… and he was a Wolf, right? So… hopefully he didn't change during sex. That's a sort of bestiality I don't want to think about."

"Ew," Brendon agreed, though he looked a bit happier.

"How do Vampires….?" Genna trailed off.

Brendon shrugged. "Never done it. But I suppose it wouldn't matter if they changed or not. We don't look that different transformed, really. Makes sex kinkier, I suppose."

"Right." Genna rolled her eyes. She snuggled up closer to him and closed her eyes. "Either way, it'll be okay," she assured him.

"So what if we can't?" Brendon asked in a softer voice. "Will you be okay with that?"

"I'll be fine, trust me. I'm worried about you. Isn't it the _boys_ who think about sex all the time?"

"That's a myth," Brendon snapped playfully.

"There's always adoption," Genna said, smiling to herself. She would be disappointed if she couldn't have her own child, but just being with Brendon was enough for her.

"Sure. Adoption." Brendon seemed placated for the moment, so Genna sighed and attempted to fall asleep.

"How did you and mom have sex?" Genna asked Stephen an hour later. He was sitting and watching TV in the kitchen.

He coughed. "Jesus, Gen. One day you're going to give me a heart attack. Don't you ever ease your way into asking these kinds of questions?"

She shook her head.

"No, I didn't think so," he said. "Why the heck would you want to know that?"

"I don't want to know _positions_, you sick old man," Genna said. "I just wanted to know… since you were a Wolf and everything. And mom was human. I mean, didn't you… didn't you transform?"

"Your mom wasn't human," Stephen said. "I kind of forgot to tell you that, huh?"

"What was she?" Genna asked, thoroughly surprised.

"Well, she was a Vampire!" Stephen said.

Genna's mouth dropped open. "You're _kidding_."

"You do know about Vampires, I presume?"

"Of course. Brendon and Ana… Oh… I never told you…" Genna gave her dad a guilty look. "Brendon and Ana are vampires."

Stephen looked surprised. "Is that right?" he asked. "Huh. Well, in answer to your question, Gen, your mom and I had built up a sort of… defense, I guess you could say, against one another. It took time and patience, but eventually we were able to have any sort of emotion and not change. It's all about how badly you want it. If you don't want to change, you won't. But it takes practice. Tons of it."

"Practice? How do you practice?"

"Get extremely upset. And then force yourself _not_ to change," Stephen explained. "Eventually it becomes easy to move in and out of form, regardless of what you're feeling."

Genna contemplated what he said.

"You're not planning on trying it with Brendon are you?" he asked skeptically.

"Not sex, no," Genna said offhandedly.

"By the way, where is he?"

"In the shower," Genna said.

"All right. Well, I'm off to go get Alice. I'll be back late. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He kissed her on the forehead and got up.

"I should be saying that to _you_. I'm the one who doesn't drink or have sex, you know."

Stephen shot her a look before leaving the room. Genna sighed. She hoped Alice was a decent person. She didn't want to go and hire a hitman. That could be so messy.

Ana grumbled her way into the kitchen looking worn out. "Hey Gen," she muttered.

"Hey Ana. How's studying going?" Genna asked.

Ana snorted. "I fell asleep."

"Oh. So, not good then. Ah well. Listen… do you have any idea what we're doing tonight or were we just going to hang out?"

"We?" Ana asked, taking her hair out from the messy bun it was tossed into. "I'm leaving. I've got a date at seven. And I wanted to give you and Brendon some alone time. It is New Year's after all."

"What? Oh, Ana! You really didn't have to do that! You're not a third wheel…"

Ana shrugged. She ran her fingers through her long, sandy blonde hair. "I know. But it's still nice. And I do still have a date."

"Who is it?" Genna asked, curious.

"Well I don't think you know him; he's two years older than you. I met him in my choir class."

"Ooo. He's a singer, then?" Genna grinned.

"Like an angel," Ana admitted. "But he's so modest about it. His name's Nick Powell. He's absolutely adorable."

"Really now? I'll have to meet this Nick fellow, won't I?"

"Nick who?" Brendon asked, entering the kitchen. He was fully dressed, but his hair was still damp from the shower.

"Nick Powell," Genna answered excitedly, trotting over to Brendon and pecking him on the lips.

"Who?" Brendon asked, putting his arm around Genna's shoulder.

"None of your business," Ana said defensively. "If I need a big brother, I'll be sure to let you know, but you're still only my cousin and have no jurisdiction over who I do and do not date."

Brendon raised an eyebrow. "No need to get angry. I was just wondering."

"If you embarrass me in front of him… I will kill you," Ana threatened very convincingly.

"Is he coming here?" Brendon asked.

"They're going out tonight," Genna said slyly. "Ana's being a martyr and leaving us the house."

"So we get to do nasty things while both your dad _and_ Ana are out?" Brendon asked excitedly. "Sweet!"

Genna elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Hey!" he yelled. "I was kidding!"

"You better be. You get Genna pregnant, and you'll have something coming for you. And it won't be pleasant," Ana said, glaring at Brendon.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Brendon argued.

"I'm two years older so that gives me every right to tell you what to do!" Ana snapped back, but she yelled with a smile. "Knock her up," Ana said again, pointing at Genna, "and you'll know just how angry this Vampire can get."

"I think I can take care of myself," Genna interjected. "I think we'll be okay, Ana, really. Leave it to me. I'll just throw him in a cold shower if he gets too excited."

Ana laughed. "All right. But if he seduces you with his Vampiric powers, just spare me the details, okay?"

"Done and done," Genna agreed.


	19. Chapter 19

Ana left and Genna and Brendon were left alone to cuddle the night away. Unfortunately, their date was cut short by a knock at the door. Genna was nervous to answer – who would be visiting at eleven at night? – so she forced Brendon to come with her. She opened the door to find a tall woman with a gaunt face. She had a regal air about her, especially in the way she dressed with fine silk and a fur coat. She was very pale and very pretty for her age. Genna half-wondered if it was a joke.

"Brendon?" The lady stepped inside the house without invitation, but Genna moved swiftly out of the way. One look at Brendon's face told Genna that this woman was not someone to mess with.

"Hello," Brendon said in an ice-cold voice Genna had never heard before, "Mother."

"Don't be so cold, Brendon, it makes everyone look bad," his mother said in a crisp British accent.

_Mother_, thought Genna in disbelief. Then it occurred to her… _this was the Queen of the Vampires_. Brendon's _real_ mother. Genna had to catch her breath. It was almost like meeting a movie star. Actually it was more like meeting a really famous murderer, but Genna wouldn't argue the point. She attempted, instead, to melt into the background, which seemed to work, as Brendon's mother seemed not to notice her at all.

"Why are you here?" Brendon asked, stone still and his voice just as frozen.

"I came to inform you of your current circumstance. Your father is dead, Brendon. You have to come home."

Brendon swallowed. "That doesn't concern me," he said, though his voice had lost its frostiness. "I left England a long time ago. And I never plan on returning, either."

"It is your duty, Brendon," the Queen said, throwing out her chest in a way Genna could only compare to something she'd seen in a movie. "Your father's death has torn apart our family-."

"No, _you_ tore apart our family!" Brendon spat angrily. "You and your _ridiculous_ laws!"

"I realize you are still angry, but it's really not a question, Brendon. You are summoned by blood. You are the King of the Vampires if you only marry."

Brendon's gaze flickered towards Genna for a moment. "I'm not going to _marry_ anyone," he said flatly. "I'm not the king of anything. I denounced that title long ago."

"_It's not a choice_," his mother hissed acidicly.

"I can't leave," Brendon said, once again losing his determined air.

"Why not?"

"I've got family here," he answered plainly. He walked over to Genna and grabbed her hand. Genna was touched.

"And who are you?" The Queen addressed Genna for the first time as if she were dirt.

"Genavieve Colbert," Genna answered in as polite of a voice as she could muster. She wondered if she should bow but decided against it.

"_Colbert_!" the Queen exclaimed angrily in a shrill, yet somehow still formal voice. She returned her gaze to Brendon. "A _Wolf_, Brendon!"

Brendon didn't defend himself, which made Genna feel uncomfortable and weak. How did she know just from her surname that she was a Wolf? Did the Queen of the Vampires know her father? Or maybe her mother… or both.

"Brendon, you obviously don't know who this is," the Queen stated plainly.

"I _know_ she's a Wolf, Mother," Brendon said through clenched teeth. He released Genna's hand.

"Oh…" The Queen's voice turned silky smooth and toxic. Her high-heeled pumps clicked their way towards Genna and the Queen ran a long-nailed finger down Genna's cheek. "She's much, _much_ more than that. You're a mix, are you not?"  
"Sorry?" Genna thought a moment. What was that supposed to even mean? Then she realized… "Oh. My dad is a Wolf and my mom was-."

"A _Vampire_, yes," the Queen finished with an eerie smile.

Brendon turned to Genna, shocked. Genna shrugged. "I just found out, kind of… I didn't think it was important… is it?"

"No, you're right!" the Queen announced in a loud voice. Genna wanted to strangle her thin neck. "It doesn't matter, does it? You're still filth." Genna clenched her jaw shut to keep in the insults bubbling to her lips. "But my money's on that you don't even know _who you are_." The Queen paced around Genna like a vulture.

"What are you talking about?" Genna asked, irritated.

"Well, your _father_ must really love you to protect you from what's rightfully yours, I suppose. An _entire_ country, after all, is too much for someone so… _small_ to handle."

Genna raised an eyebrow. The old lady had lost her marbles.

"But if I've heard the story correctly, which I'm certain I have, your whole family was exiled, weren't they? Yes… It seems your father _and_ your mother were both filthy traitors in the end."

Genna snapped. "Who the _hell_ do you think you are to talk about my family like that!" she shouted.

"Well, I am Rebecca VII, Queen of the Vampires! And you, my sweet little puppy, are the exiled princess of the Wolves." The Queen smiled a wicked smile. Genna felt sick. "Well, we really must be going, dear Genavieve. Send my regards to Eva."

Her mother's name was the last thing Genna wanted to hear that night

The Queen stepped towards the door and to Genna's horror, Brendon followed behind.

"Wait! You're going?" Genna exclaimed.

Brendon sighed impatiently. "I don't have a choice," he explained lamely.

"A choice? Of course you have a choice! Don't go!" Genna grabbed onto the lapel of his jacket, but he removed her hand and took a step back.

"No, I don't have that choice anymore, Gen. Try to understand. It couldn't work out. You belong here and I belong somewhere completely different. Maybe in another life… if I were another person… but not now."

"What are you saying?" Genna choked out through tears. "Don't go, please don't go."

"I have to go, Gen. Don't wait for me." He turned and left through the door.

The clock struck twelve o' clock and it wasn't a surprising thought when Genna realized it was the New Year.


	20. Chapter 20

"Bye," Ana said softly to Nick with a bubbly romantic tone of voice. She shut the front door of Genna's house behind her. Her happy-go-lucky smile dropped when she saw Genna's state. "What the hell happened?" She ran over to the sulking Genna who was curled up against the wall bawling her eyes out. Something clicked in Ana's mind. "Where's Brendon?" she asked seriously.

Genna couldn't even think straight. How could she possibly talk? Ana seemed to understand that and sat down next to her pathetic friend and put her arm around her.

After a good ten minutes of trying to bring herself together, Genna was able to ask, "What time is it?"

"Two in the morning. New Years, just in case you repressed this memory already."

Genna appreciated the joke but couldn't find the humor laughable. She coughed.

"Are you up for talking?" Ana asked.

Genna shook her head. She looked up as she heard the front door open. Stephen had the same look of utter enjoyment on his face until he saw Genna.

"What happened?" he asked, voicing the question more towards Ana. Ana shrugged in response.

It was a half hour with some hot tea and comforting words before Genna was able to explain everything that had happened.

"And the Queen… she said I was a princess or something," Genna added at the end. "What did she mean?"

Stephen sighed. "I never meant to tell you. I wasn't hiding it from you, Gen, it's just… that's a part of my life that I never wanted you to be a part of. I _used_ to be a king. Well, I used to be _the_ King of the Wolves. But I chose to marry your mother, a Vampire, which was unheard of. Both sides thought it was borderline-suicide. So, I gave up my title and your mother and I came here. Technically you're a princess, but we're in exile, Gen. The royalty of both sides is made up of ignorant, unchanging gits, trust me."

"I'm sorry," Ana interrupted. "Did you say your wife was a _Vampire_?"

"Yeah," Stephen said bluntly, giving Ana a wary look.

"But, that's impossible. There are _no_ documented cases of that."

"Well, we wouldn't be documented, would we? If both our clans hate us for getting married?"

"I always thought it would be impossible," Ana said, exasperated. "No offense," she added towards Genna. "It's unheard of. Unprecedented."

"Not impossible," Stephen said. "Rare. But not impossible."

"I can't believe Brendon would just leave," Ana said, finally hitting the nail that stung Genna the hardest. "That's not like him."

Genna shrugged, unable to say anything productive. She silently agreed.

"I can't believe the king died, either," Ana added, talking to herself now. "But Brendon's always said he would never go back. He hated his parents. At least that's what I thought."

"You can't hate your parents," Stephen said. "Trust me. I've tried. They tried everything to slow my radical thoughts when I was a teenager. They were the ones that exiled me. But I can't hate them. Not even through all of that. They're my parents, after all."

"Doesn't that make you…?" Genna asked, looking at Ana.

"I'm a duchess," she said. "Not really anything special. I'm allowed to do whatever I want, really. Except for interact with Wolves… so I'm in deep shit, aren't I?"

Genna smiled sadly.

"It's not like Brendon," Ana assured Genna. "He might not have gone back at all!"

"He went back," Genna decided. "And I don't think he's ever coming back."


	21. Chapter 21

Genna spent the rest of her Christmas break forcing herself to follow a schedule. She had to make herself get up in the morning, to shower, to eat, to talk to her dad or Ana. Everything reminded her of Brendon. Every word or song or Television show reminded her of something they'd spoken about or laughed at together.

She tried to seem normal, at least. She asked Stephen about his date with Alice. He fortunately kept his obviously exciting story to a low joyfulness so as not to upset Genna. In essence, it was great. Ana had more trouble holding back her excitement when she talked about Nick.

"He's so sweet!" she ranted. "I cannot believe he was interested in me this whole time!"

Genna asked her to elaborate.

"Well, he was in my photography class and it wasn't until recently that we started doing pair projects. So he always chose his best friend, Jakob, of course. And I always ended up with some other girl who didn't have a partner, which is okay with me. You know me; I don't care who I'm with, as long as they're not a pain in the butt. But then suddenly one day he asked me to be his partner for this eco project we had to do! I was so shocked! Happily shocked, I assure you.

"And Jakob was there and everything, he'd just chosen me out of nowhere! So we kind of got to know one another. He's perfect. He's absolutely hilarious, too. We kind of kid around all the time, just like you and…" She froze, staring at Genna with fearful eyes. She'd almost said "Brendon," but Genna pretended not to notice. Genna smiled as a way of saying, "Continue."

"So, anyway, he asked me to hang out on New Year's during one of our photoshoots. Of course I said yes and he was so happy he kissed me!" Ana laughed. Genna smiled good-humoredly. "He's such a dork that way," Ana mused dreamily. "So I guess that's when we started dating. And that was the day before Christmas break. I swear we're more like best friends with benefits. Except we're legit. Not… just… I mean, we really are dating."

Genna laughed mirthlessly. "That's great. I can't wait to meet him."

"Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about that!" Ana exclaimed. "You're going to love him! He's so funny." She paused at the sick look on Genna's face. "I'm sorry, Gen. You know I get carried away. Listen… and I hate to be cliché like this, but there are plenty of fish in the sea. Just wait. A couple months from now, you'll be dating someone who isn't a King."


	22. Chapter 22

"If everyone could grab a table; two people per table, please. We're going to be filling out some paperwork!" All of Genna's Medical class groaned, and even most of the Medical students were looking bored already.

A year had passed. Brendon hadn't come back, hadn't called, hadn't given any contact to anyone. Even Analeigh had been left cold. A year later and Genna still couldn't get her mind off of him. Like how he would be her partner during the seminar if he'd been there.

She took a seat at an empty table and since she didn't know anyone, began working immediately. Besides her Medicine Studies class, which was made up of about twenty people, also at the seminar were the medical students from the local university. So, that added about thirty more people Genna didn't know. She opened up the folder the professor had described and began reading over the information each pair was assigned about a fake patient.

"Can I sit here?" Genna looked up into the face of one of the Medical students from the graduate school. He was fairly tall and handsome with beautiful hazel eyes and longish brown hair. It made Genna sick, but she still couldn't help comparing everything about him to Brendon. Brendon had darker hair and a rounder face and brighter eyes…

"Absolutely," Genna said, cutting her own thoughts. He smiled and she grinned back.

She showed the patient information to him and they discussed it in a perfectly professional manner, though Genna couldn't help noticing his half-grin every time she spoke. Or maybe she was imagining things…

An hour later, they had filled out all the information that was required and they started talking. His name was Spencer Shay and he was going to the graduate university, like Genna had deduced. He was twenty-three and owned his own small house.

And he was hilarious.

But once again, Genna was found comparing his humor to Brendon's. It killed her. By the end of the seminar, they were already making fun of each other, a sure sign that they would soon become close, according to Genna.

The professor dismissed them all and as Genna placed her papers into her shoulder bag, Spencer said, "So, I hate to sound so straight-forward here, but are you seeing anyone?"

Genna was shocked. "Um. I… Um…" She blushed. "No, I'm not," she said.

"Good, because I don't want anyone on my case when I take you out for coffee tomorrow." He grinned and the way his smiled hit his eyes was something completely new – a sure sign, by Genna's standards.

Genna smiled back. "Pick me up at eleven?" she asked. She wrote down her dorm number and her cell phone number for him on a sheet of paper.

"Eleven it is," he said happily.

As soon as Genna left the building, she called Analeigh, who was quick to answer.

"Yo, what's up?" she answered conversationally.

"Ana, it happened!" Genna exclaimed, turning her feet towards the campus, about a block away.

"You're pregnant?" Ana asked, almost bored.

"No!" Genna shouted. "No, I met a guy!"

"Ohmygoshyou'rekiddingtellmeeverything," Ana said in one breath.

"Well, his name's Spencer Shay and he goes to the grad school five minutes away," Genna began.

"Wait, wait," Ana interrupted. "He's older! How much older?"

"He's four years older," Genna said. "That's not too much, is it? This isn't like… illegal?"

"Oh shut up. But keep talking," Ana said.

"Right. Well, he's really funny. And really nice. And I figure he's extremely smart since he's in medical school, right?"

"Or rich," Ana pointed out. "But continue."

"Well, we really connected at the seminar, so I guess he's taking me out for coffee tomorrow."

"No. Way. That. Is. Awesome." Ana squealed happily. "I'm so happy for you! Gen, that really is amazing. So what does your dad think?"

Genna gasped. "I haven't told him!"

"You better get on that. Alice is going to go crazy, I know."

Alice Locke and Genna's dad had stayed together all this time. Genna found Alice to be surprisingly open about Genna's feelings towards her considering her dead mother. After Genna got to know her, she and Alice became very close. Genna still felt weird about her dad being "friendly" with anyone else, but it definitely helped that the girl he chose was decent.

"Yeah, she will…"

"I'll let you go. I'm coming over tonight, by the way, so that I can help you get ready for your date."

"I can get ready myself," Genna said, looking down at her dirty jeans.

"Don't kid yourself; you couldn't sense fashion if it was your own skin," Ana said bluntly.

"As long as you do my hair, too," Genna muttered. She ran her fingers through her thick, red hair. "It's starting to get dangerously long."

"No such thing," Analeigh said. She herself had very long hair that somehow always looked professionally done.

"All right. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye!"

Genna hung up the phone and as she walked on, she realized it.

_She was going on a date_!


End file.
